A total of 83% of Canadians think former prime minister Brian Mulroney did well in his job, according to a poll conducted by Spark Advocacy. “Brian Mulroney was colourful and some of his major policy initiatives were pretty controversial,” said Spark Advocacy Chief Strategy Officer Bruce Anderson in a poll. “But he maintained a conviction that his effort to push policies that were of doubtful popularity in the moment was the right thing to do and over time might also win more public acceptance.”Spark Advocacy found 17% of Canadians felt Mulroney did a poor job as prime minister. While he saw high approval ratings across all age groups, 85% of Canadians aged 18 to 29 said he did a good job. However, 15% said he did a poor job. After Canadians aged 18 to 29 were those aged 60+ (83%). This was followed by those aged 45 to 59 (81%) and 30 to 44 (80%). While he was a Progressive Conservative, Spark Advocacy said he had the highest approval rating among Bloc Quebecois voters (90%). It said one-tenth of Bloc Quebecois voters disapproved of him. Liberals gave him the second highest approval rating (87%). The Conservatives came in third place (85%) and the NDP was in fourth (75%). When it comes to him signing the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement, it said 85% feel it was a positive part of his record. It added 15% thought it was negative. A separate 83% viewed the Canada-US Agreement on Acid Rain as positive. The other 17% perceived it as negative. Four-fifths said his advocacy against apartheid in South Africa was positive. Despite a high approval rating for his advocacy, one-fifth found it to be negative. Three-quarters said him trying to bridge the divide with the Meech and Charlottetown Accord was good. One-quarter admitted they thought it was bad. By replacing the manufacturers’ sales tax with the good and services tax, 63% said it was positive. The other 37% said it was negative. Anderson pointed out free trade was close to a half-half split when it was negotiated, as many people worried Canada would lose cultural identity and be swamped economically. Since then, he said free trade has been seen as an important part of Canada’s economic success. He concluded by saying Mulroney’s efforts to end apartheid and fight acid rain “helped people see his Conservative party in a positive light on social and environmental questions and reflected the values of the broad base of Canadians.” “While he didn’t succeed with the Meech and Charlottetown Accord, Canadians broadly acknowledge and appreciate the spirit behind those efforts,” he said. Mulroney’s family confirmed on February 29 he had died. READ MORE: UPDATED: Former PM Mulroney passes away at 84He was 84 years old and was three weeks away from his 85th birthday.“On behalf of my mother and our family, it is with great sadness we announce the passing of my father, The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Canada’s 18th Prime Minister,” said his daughter Caroline. The poll was conducted online among a representative randomized sample of 1,700 Canadian adults between March 12 to 15. No margin of error was assigned to it.
A total of 83% of Canadians think former prime minister Brian Mulroney did well in his job, according to a poll conducted by Spark Advocacy. “Brian Mulroney was colourful and some of his major policy initiatives were pretty controversial,” said Spark Advocacy Chief Strategy Officer Bruce Anderson in a poll. “But he maintained a conviction that his effort to push policies that were of doubtful popularity in the moment was the right thing to do and over time might also win more public acceptance.”Spark Advocacy found 17% of Canadians felt Mulroney did a poor job as prime minister. While he saw high approval ratings across all age groups, 85% of Canadians aged 18 to 29 said he did a good job. However, 15% said he did a poor job. After Canadians aged 18 to 29 were those aged 60+ (83%). This was followed by those aged 45 to 59 (81%) and 30 to 44 (80%). While he was a Progressive Conservative, Spark Advocacy said he had the highest approval rating among Bloc Quebecois voters (90%). It said one-tenth of Bloc Quebecois voters disapproved of him. Liberals gave him the second highest approval rating (87%). The Conservatives came in third place (85%) and the NDP was in fourth (75%). When it comes to him signing the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement, it said 85% feel it was a positive part of his record. It added 15% thought it was negative. A separate 83% viewed the Canada-US Agreement on Acid Rain as positive. The other 17% perceived it as negative. Four-fifths said his advocacy against apartheid in South Africa was positive. Despite a high approval rating for his advocacy, one-fifth found it to be negative. Three-quarters said him trying to bridge the divide with the Meech and Charlottetown Accord was good. One-quarter admitted they thought it was bad. By replacing the manufacturers’ sales tax with the good and services tax, 63% said it was positive. The other 37% said it was negative. Anderson pointed out free trade was close to a half-half split when it was negotiated, as many people worried Canada would lose cultural identity and be swamped economically. Since then, he said free trade has been seen as an important part of Canada’s economic success. He concluded by saying Mulroney’s efforts to end apartheid and fight acid rain “helped people see his Conservative party in a positive light on social and environmental questions and reflected the values of the broad base of Canadians.” “While he didn’t succeed with the Meech and Charlottetown Accord, Canadians broadly acknowledge and appreciate the spirit behind those efforts,” he said. Mulroney’s family confirmed on February 29 he had died. READ MORE: UPDATED: Former PM Mulroney passes away at 84He was 84 years old and was three weeks away from his 85th birthday.“On behalf of my mother and our family, it is with great sadness we announce the passing of my father, The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, Canada’s 18th Prime Minister,” said his daughter Caroline. The poll was conducted online among a representative randomized sample of 1,700 Canadian adults between March 12 to 15. No margin of error was assigned to it.
