Mulroney, Brian (Martin Brian Mulroney), 1939-, Canadian prime minister (1984-93). Raised in Quebec in a working class family, Mulroney was a successful bilingual lawyer who became active in provincial politics in the 1970s. In 1983 he was elected both national leader of the Progressive Conservative party and to Parliament. In 1984 he became prime minister. In 1987 he negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States; in 1992 Canada, the United States, and Mexico signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mulroney tried, through the failed Meech Lake Accord, to settle the problem of the constitutional status of Quebec. In 1992 he engineered a subsequent constitutional compromise on the problem of provincial autonomy; it was defeated in a national referendum. Mulroney resigned in 1993 in the midst of a recession.

(born March 20, 1939, Baie-Comeau, Que., Can.) Prime minister of Canada (1984–93). The son of an electrician in a paper-and-pulp town, he grew up bilingual in English and French. He began practicing law in Montreal in 1965. In 1974 he served on a commission to investigate crime in Quebec's construction industry. From 1977 to 1983 he was president of the Iron Ore Company. Elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1983, he became prime minister when the party defeated the Liberals in the general election in 1984. Creating a coalition of Quebec nationalists and western conservatives, he advocated unification while recognizing Quebec as a “distinct society.” He sought U.S. cooperation on acid rain and trade policies and helped negotiate NAFTA. He retired from politics in 1993.

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Mulroney is a surname of Irish origin. The name refers to:

• Family of Brian Mulroney (born 1939), Progressive Conservative Prime Minister of Canada 1984–1993
• Mila Mulroney (b. 1953), wife of Brian Mulroney
• Caroline Mulroney (b. 1974), daughter of Brian Mulroney
• Ben Mulroney (b. 1976), son of Brian Mulroney; Canadian television hostOther persons:
• Kieran Mulroney (b. 1965), American television actor and musician
• Dermot Mulroney (b. 1963), American actor

See also

• Mulrooney