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Former PM says he had an easier time dealing with the U.S. than Trudeau's had Former prime minister Brian Mulroney lavished praise on former U.S. president George Bush senior Tuesday, saying he was a "fantastic" guy whose example offered a sharp contrast to that of the current tenant of the White House. "George Bush was fantastic and still is," Mulroney told an audience in Ottawa. "I tell you, if you want to see a contrast between a civilized, modest, thoughtful, generous leadership and what you're seeing today, there you go." Mulroney made the comments during a question and answer session...

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney–a close ideological ally of Margaret Thatcher and former U.S. President Ronald Reagan–said he drew inspiration from Mrs. Thatcher’s free-market policies to champion Canada’s key, but controversial, free-trade deal with the U.S., as well as tax reform that helped solidify Canada’s economic fundamentals long after he left office in 1993.

A much-talked-about new version of "The Rockford Files" for this fall has found its new James Garner. Movie star (and former Julia Roberts boyfriend) Dermot Mulroney has been cast to play Jim Rockford, the honest-man private detective that Garner made famous in the 1970s. Mulroney has been playing romantic, leading men in movies like "The Wedding Date" and "Must Love Dogs" since the mid-1990s. Filming on a pilot for the series is set to begin next month in LA -- but with the show's well-known name and film-star lead, it seems a sure bet to be on NBC's fall schedule...

When it came to 'cowards' and 'bunglers,' Trudeau knew what he was talking about: Ex-PM. (Brian Mulroney)In the following excerpt from Brian Mulroney's soon-to-be-published Memoirs, the former PM responds to Pierre Trudeau's personal attack on him in 1987 during discussions on a constitutional amendment defining Quebec's status in the federation... On May 26, 1987, Mila and I attended a gala dinner in Toronto honouring Cardinal Emmett Carter on the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination. Every dignitary in town was there, including Opposition Leader John Turner and Premier David Peterson. At the pre-dinner reception I spotted Trudeau off in a corner....

What Rajiv Gandhi told Canada PM after A-I blast May 03, 2007 09:54 IST In a phone call just after the bombing of the Air India plane in 1985, then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had asked his Canadian counterpart why all the baggage on the flight was not removed and rechecked in Montreal when three pieces were found to be suspicious. Gandhi had suggested to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney that Canada had breached international procedures by not re-screening the luggage on Flight 182. Details of the emotionally-charged exchange were revealed on Wednesday in declassified government documents released at the...

After watching the CBC documentary about the Mulroney years, The Secret Mulroney Tapes, at least one message was jackhammered into this Canadian brain. Mulroney's opponents had to be some of the most overrated shallowest elves in history. Mulroney was shown accurately as championing free trade and national unity, the quest to get Quebec's signature on the Constitution. The GST battle was just a side dish on the TV menu. None of these battles was easy. How do we judge what's easy? Through the Chretien/Martin 20-20 safety lens. One can argue that Jean Chretien with his finance minister Paul Martin made...

<p>Here is a collection of the eulogies delivired by the various speakers.</p>

How on earth could Paul Martin not be there? The most significant, ceremonial and emotional moment of our times, with admiring heads of state, international allies, adversaries who became friends, five U.S. presidents in attendance -- the prime minister chose not to be there. Ronald Reagan's funeral in Washington. Why would he miss it? Big mistake by Martin. Understandable, maybe, what with former PM Brian Mulroney honoured by delivering a passionate eulogy to president Reagan. Undoubtedly Martin -- and/or those who advise him -- feared if he attended he would be in the shadows of attention, that Mulroney's presence would...

A text of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's tribute to President Ronald Reagan: In the spring of 1987 President Reagan and I were driven into a large hangar at the Ottawa Airport, to await the arrival of Mrs. Reagan and my wife, Mila, prior to departure ceremonies for their return to Washington. We were alone except for the security details. President Reagan's visit had been important, demanding and successful. Our discussions reflected the international agenda of the times: The nuclear threat posed by the Soviet Union and the missile deployment by NATO; pressures in the Warsaw pact, challenges resulting...

WASHINGTON -- From President Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, to US Army Lieutenant Larry Blevins, who wanted to leave his Bronze Star from the Iraq war beside the casket, Ronald Reagan was commemorated in death yesterday by thousands who filed through the soaring rotunda of the Capitol. The nation's 40th president, who will be buried tonight in California after a dignitary-laden funeral this morning in the National Cathedral, continued to be the focus of an outpouring of grief, as tourists scrapped museum visits for an opportunity to view his casket, and others drove to Washington to pay their respects. Bush and...

Mulroney, Clarkson to attend Reagan funeral TORONTO - The governor general will represent Canada and a former prime minister will be a speaker at the state funeral of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan. Sources familiar with the funeral planning say Reagan's widow, Nancy, invited former prime minister Brian Mulroney to speak at the funeral, which is set for Friday in Washington. And the prime minister's office says Governor General Adrienne Clarkson will represent Canada at the ceremony. As of late Monday, Prime Minister Paul Martin was not planning to attend. In 1994, Reagan let the country know in a handwritten...

Mulroney praises former president as "a giant" and "great friend of Canada" Eilis Quinn Canadian Press June 5, 2004 MONTREAL (CP) - Offering his condolences to the family of Ronald Reagan and the people of the United States, Brian Mulroney praised the former president Saturday as "a giant" and "a great friend of Canada." With the sun setting in the early evening, the former prime minister stood on the steps in front of his Westmount home and lauded Reagan as an "icon" who had earned a special place in history. "Ronald Reagan was a transformational president," Mulroney said. "(He) made...

WASHINGTON—A Montreal man has emerged as the key figure in a controversy that has dogged Democratic presidential aspirant Wesley Clark during the summer months. Questions have swirled since June when the former NATO commander alleged on national television that he was pressured to link the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in a mystery phone call he received. Clark first implied the call, not long after the attacks, might have come from White House, then later said it came from a Middle Eastern think tank in Canada. He has never identified the caller. As Clark kicked...

ORONO - Relations between the United States and Canada are "impaired" at a time when the need for cooperation is at its greatest for economic and security reasons, former Secretary of State William Cohen and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney told an audience at the University of Maine on Friday.Mulroney, who served as prime minister from 1984 to 1993, is an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Jean Chretien's administration and said Friday there should have been swift consequences when high-ranking Canadian officials called President Bush a "moron" and a "failed statesman." Cohen agreed with Mulroney, saying that Chretien's failure...

TORONTO - Anti-Semitism is an intractable evil that all Canadians, especially elected leaders, ''must stand up'' and confront, Brian Mulroney said last night. He denounced the pro-Hitler stance of William Lyon Mackenzie King, the prime minister of the time, as contributing to the deaths of "countless Jews." In a speech that launched a two-day conference probing the scope of anti-Semitism, Mr. Mulroney said that hatred toward Jews -- a philosophy ''born in ignorance and nurtured in envy'' -- continues to be a scourge in Canada. Addressing an audience at the University of Toronto, Mr. Mulroney also accused anti-Semites of broadening...