Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney speaks during the funeral service for Nancy Reagan on March 11, 2016, in Simi Valley, Calif. Politics Mulroney to deliver eulogy for George H.W. Bush: 'One of nature's true gentlemen' In an interview, he lauded Bush's life in three areas: on Canada-U.S. affairs, international leadership and basic decency.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is expected to deliver one of the eulogies at the funeral for George H.W. Bush, whom he lauded Saturday as a gentleman, a statesman and a history-shaping friend to Canada.

Mulroney said he was invited to speak by the elder Bush himself.


"He asked me about three years ago if I would do that, and I said, 'Yes.' I'll be there with a eulogy, along with a few others," Mulroney said.

"His kindness was legendary. His politeness with other world leaders, even the smallest countries in the world, was something to behold. George Bush was one of nature's true gentlemen."

In an interview, he lauded Bush's life in three areas: on Canada-U.S. affairs, international leadership and basic decency.

On Canada-U.S. issues, he credited Bush for a pair of achievements — the original North American Free Trade Agreement and the 1991 bilateral acid-rain treaty.

"George Bush's legacy with regard to Canada was huge. It would rank with the greatest in modern history," Mulroney said. "He was the one who made possible two major events in the history of Canada."

Mulroney said he tried unsuccessfully to persuade President Ronald Reagan for years to tackle the then-pressing acid-rain problem damaging the continent's waters. Upon taking office, Bush agreed quickly to do something about it. "For 25 years, acid rain was a major problem. ... It's not mentioned anymore because the problem's been solved."

Mulroney was in office from 1984 to 1993, an era spanning three U.S. presidencies, and also delivered a eulogy at Reagan's funeral.

On NAFTA, Mulroney recalled that the original U.S. plan was to do a bilateral deal with Mexico — which he says he protested, arguing that the U.S. should turn its previous bilateral pact with Canada into a three-country deal. Bush agreed.

He also recalled Bush's decency, describing international meetings at which Bush would invite the leaders of much smaller, less geopolitically significant countries, to speak before him.

He said Bush would listen carefully and take notes. He also said Bush would often respond to the most basic courtesy by sending a handwritten thank-you note from the Oval Office: "Not very many people do that."

Finally, in broader international affairs, he credits Bush's steady leadership with not only bringing the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion, but also in building international alliances in which the world backed the United States — as with the dozens of countries supporting the first Gulf War.

"I won't make any comparisons at all with the present," Mulroney said, when asked to compare the Bush approach to the "America First" approach touted by President Donald Trump.

"I can only talk about the George Bush I knew. ... The implosion of the Soviet Union was the most epochal event of the 20th century. And the reunification of Germany was also a spectacular event, both of which had to be handled with the utmost skill, delicacy, firmness and knowledge. And George Bush did both of them — provided brilliant leadership on both, without a shot being fired and very peacefully ...

"That's the way he saw the world — that countries working together can solve problems, whereas it's very difficult to do that if you're standing alone."

This article tagged under: George H.W. Bush