Portrait of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney was born in Baie-Comeau, Quebec, in 1939. He was a successful lawyer and businessman in Montreal, and a powerful orator. In the 1984 election the Progressive Conservatives won 211 seats, the largest victory ever in federal Canadian politics. As Prime Minister he brought in free-trade pacts with the United States and Mexico, the Goods and Services Tax, and privatized many Crown corporations, including Air Canada.
In the portrait, painted almost twenty years after Mulroney’s last day as Prime Minister, artist Igor Babailov portrayed him surrounded by symbolic objects, representing his leadership, knowledge, background, and his family. He stands with the grasped hands of an adroit politician in his signature speaking pose.