Pollution Probe wishes to extend its deepest condolences to the family and friends of The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney.
In 2019, Mr. Mulroney was the recipient of Pollution Probe’s Environmental Leadership Award and we were so thrilled that he joined us in-person to celebrate our 50th anniversary.
Mr. Mulroney’s contributions to the environment are extraordinary. His ambitions were high. His motivations were personal. “I came to office as Prime Minister determined to place the environment at the top of our national priorities. Why? Well, for many reasons, but when I was young we used to swim in the waters of Baie-Comeau. Over time, they became completely polluted by the pulp and paper mills in the region. And so, no one swims in Baie-Comeau anymore. I had seen the same thing happening in hundreds of communities across Canada and decided to act.”
Among his many accomplishments his government:
- established eight new national parks
- began cleanup of the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Fraser rivers
- launched the Arctic strategy to protect Canada’s Northern wilderness
- passed both the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the Canadian Environment Protection Act
- hosted the first international conference with politicians actively present on climate change, the Brundtland Commission
- signed the Acid Rain Accord with the United States• helped bring the U.S. on board in support of the Convention on Climate Change at the Rio Summit
- signed the Bio-Diversity Accord Treaty. Canada was the first industrialized country to do so
- organized the Montreal Protocol which is credited with averting the collapse of the ozone layer and enabling its restoration while cutting more than 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
We owe a great debt of gratitude to Mr. Mulroney for his contributions to the environment and service to Canada.
Christopher Hilkene
CEO