Brian Mulroney's redemption
Mike Kostoff

The Order of Canada is awarded by the Governor-General to Canadian citizens who have exemplified the highest degree of service to their country.

The presentation of this award to former Prime Minster Brian Mulroney last week was a long overdue gesture and will hopefully serve to provide some degree of redemption to Canada's most unfairly villainized political figure.

The accomplishments of Mulroney and his government over their nine year reign have had a lasting positive impact on the state of this country.

Faced with a massive deficit inherited by the Trudeau Liberals, Mulroney was forced to make some tough decisions in an effort to halt this growing problem.

These are decisions which made the balanced budget of today possible, an accomplishment for which the Chretien-led Liberals are more than happy to take credit for.

It is not difficult to remember the political war waged over the introduction of free trade. Mulroney and the Conservative government were selling out Canada, or so the Liberal protectionist propaganda went.

In reality, what Mulroney was doing was creating more open access to North American markets to stimulate economic activity.

Instead of imposing a hidden tax on consumers, as protectionist trade policies do, Mulroney was setting the foundation for the future; a free trade environment which would provide for the record economic expansion that Canada has enjoyed since 1992.

Of course, in come the Liberals to take credit for the economic growth and suddenly become big supporters of the free trade concept when its positive effects can't possibly be disputed.

Then, there was the hated GST. With its introduction, the government replaced an existing higher manufacturers sales tax with a more widespread goods and services tax. While the Liberals again hopped on the public opinion bandwagon and tirelessly opposed this "grossly unfair" tax, the Mulroney Conservatives recognized it was a necessary measure given the spiraling debt levels.

This added source of revenue is undeniably the main reason why current Finance Minister Paul Martin has been able to balance the budget and will, in the long run, be able to lower the tax burden on Canadians. Hey, wait a minute... what is the GST still doing here five years after Mulroney is long gone?

Finally, there was Mulroney's handling of national unity matters. Nothing better illustrates Mulroney's tremendous leadership talents than the near passing of the Meech Lake Accord. The agreement was the closest any government ever came to resolving the country's constitutional dilemma.

Under Chretien, political instability in Canada has never been greater and the Quebec sovereignists came within a whisker of winning a referendum on separation.

This instability has contributed to the dramatic decline of the Canadian dollar from its high of 89 cents to its current level of 64 cents; a tumble which has created the greatest destruction of wealth in our time.

The irony is thick, isn't it. The Liberals' overspending creates a massive deficit problem, Mulroney and the Conservatives institute policies to fix the problem, and the Liberals are back in time to take credit.

All the while, Mulroney is villainized in the eyes of the public by the media, while Chretien and the Liberals are rewarded with re-election and a sustained level of public support. Well, the great thing about democracy is the people get the government they deserve.

Hopefully, this award will help ensure history appreciates a man who made a true contribution to Canada instead of one who serves nothing but the whims of public opinion.