Mulroney considered ‘greatest’ PM in Atlantic Canada, says former N.B. premier Frank McKenna

Brian Mulroney will always be considered the “greatest” prime minister in Atlantic Canada and one of the country’s most consequential leaders, says former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna.

McKenna, who is also the former Canadian ambassador to the United States, had high praise for his good friend who passed away at age 84 on Thursday, saying Mulroney “left big footprints in the sand.”

“I think when he’s judged by history, he’ll be considered one of our most consequential prime ministers by a long shot,” McKenna told The West Block host Mercedes Stephenson.

“But in Atlantic Canada, he’ll always be considered our greatest prime minister.”

Mulroney’s daughter Caroline announced his death in a social media post on X, saying, “The country’s 18th prime minister died peacefully and surrounded by family.”

Born in Baie-Comeau, Que., in 1939, Mulroney built a political career marked by his leadership of the at-times fractious coalition of Western conservatives, Red Tories and Quebec nationalists that made up the old centrist Progressive Conservative Party. His legacy includes securing the original NAFTA trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico as well as passing the goods and service tax into law.

He has also been commended for his strong opposition to apartheid in South Africa, helping to lead the global sanctions that brought that regime to an end, and his environmental achievements, including acid rain reductions and the passage of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

“I think free trade and the GST (gross domestic product) are two of the most consequential, public policy developments literally, in the history of our country. They’re really pretty, pretty transformational,” McKenna said.

Mulroney’s deep connection with Atlantic