Brian Mulroney, dead at 84, leaves long-lasting legacy on N.L.'s offshore oil industry

Brian Mulroney, Canada's 18th prime minister, died Thursday at 84, leaving behind a long-lasting legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly when it comes to setting the groundwork for the province's offshore oil industry.

In a crowded hotel ballroom in St. John's in 1985, Mulroney signed the Atlantic Accord, a deal that would shape the province's offshore oil industry. Next to him was Premier Brian Peckford, who said, "There is no other document in existence signed by Newfoundland that has within it the ability to see this province truly grow and prosper."

Decades later, when the industry ran into trouble in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mulroney called on the federal government to prevent it from collapsing.

WATCH | See how CBC News covered the signing of the Atlantic Accord in St. John's: 

Atlantic Accord signed 30 years ago today

10 years ago

Duration 2:27

On this day in 1985, CBC covered the signing of the Atlantic Accord in St. John's

"I would not allow COVID-19 and short-sighted thinking to kill Newfoundland and Labrador and the East Coast offshore industry," Mulroney said in 2020 during a virtual fundraising dinner in support of the province's Progressive Conservative party.

"We want a nation of winners here in Canada. But to get there the federal government has to step in and help Newfoundland in a dramatic way," he said at the time.

The former prime minister had a close relationship with John Crosbie, a man Mulroney trusted in several cabinet posts and the province's representative in the federal cabinet at the time the accord was signed in 1985.

Mulroney eulogized Crosbie at his funeral in 2020, opening his remarks by saying, "If a PM of Canada is lucky — and I mean really lucky — he will wind up with a John Crosbie in his cabinet."

WATCH | Mulroney eulogizes close friend and cabinet minister John Crosbie: 

Brian Mulroney recounts a funny John Crosbie moment

5 years ago

Duration 2:33

Former PM tells Crosbie's funeral in St. John's how Crosbie reacted upon learning CBC wanted to launch Newsworld

Crosbie's influence in Ottawa is largely marked by his role in the Hibernia offshore project. At his funeral, Mulroney recalled Crosbie telling him in 1990 how vital the project was for the province.

Mulroney said Crosbie was proven to be right. Hibernia ended up providing billions of dollars in revenue to the federal and provincial governments.

"As I looked at him that day in the fading sunlight of a lovely Ottawa summer afternoon, I just knew he was right. And I knew, as well, that I had to do it," said Mulroney at Crosbie's funeral.

Mulroney's daughter, Caroline Mulroney, shared the news of his death Thursday afternoon, saying he died peacefully surrounded by family.

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