Book Description

Brian Mulroney captured the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives and became the first prime minister in thirty-five years - and the first Conservative since Sir John A. Macdonald - to win consecutive majorities. His victory was the largest in Canadian political history, yet his party was almost wiped out in the election following his resignation. In Transforming the Nation, leading Canadian politicians and scholars reflect on the major policy debates of the period and offer new and surprising interpretations of Brian Mulroney. Mulroney had a tremendous impact on Canada, charting a new direction for the country through his decisions on a variety of public-policy issues - free trade with the United States, social-security reform, foreign policy, and Canada's North. The Mulroney government represented a dramatic break with Canada's past. Mulroney received severe criticism for many of his new initiatives and left office with the lowest approval rating of any Canadian prime minister. However, much of the legislation he put in place was both embraced and expanded by the Liberals who succeeded him. Transforming the Nation is a significant contribution to our understanding of the complex world of Canadian public policy during the Mulroney era.