Compiled and prepared by MALIK MERCHANT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Statement on the Passing of the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney:

February 29, 2024,
Ottawa, Ontario

“I learned with great sadness today of the death of the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister of Canada.

“Mr. Mulroney loved Canada. After a distinguished business and legal career, he became Prime Minister in 1984 and made significant progress on important issues here at home and around the world. He negotiated the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement and, later, the expanded North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Mexico. He worked hard to build bridges between French and English Canada. He was at the forefront of environmental issues, helping secure an air quality agreement with the United States to reduce acid rain, championing the first Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and creating several new national parks. And he exemplified Canadian values, standing up against apartheid in South Africa.

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“After leaving office, Mr. Mulroney continued to lead an active life, serving on corporate boards and becoming chair of Quebecor Inc. and Forbes Global Business and Finance. He was also a senior partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada, a Montréal-based international law firm, for almost 30 years. Mr. Mulroney never stopped working for Canadians, and he always sought to make this country an even better place to call home.

“For his many accomplishments, Mr. Mulroney received numerous honours and awards, including the Order of Canada, the Ordre national du Québec, and the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. A globally respected and recognized leader, Mr. Mulroney was also awarded some of the highest recognitions from governments around the world.

“As we mourn his passing and keep his family and friends in our thoughts, let us also acknowledge — and celebrate — Mr. Mulroney’s role in building the modern, dynamic, and prosperous country we all know today.”

On Friday, March 1, 2024, Prime Minister Trudeau said that a state funeral for the late Brian Mulroney will be a “right and fitting tribute” for a titan of Canadian politics. He died peacefully surrounded by his family, his daughter Caroline Mulroney said Thursday. A family spokesperson said Mulroney died in a Palm Beach hospital, where he’d been since a recent fall. “He marked the history of this country, he marked the present of this country and it is right that we all are reflecting on him and his family today and for many days to come,” Trudeau said Friday morning. The Prime Minister said planning is underway for a state funeral, a special public event reserved for eminent Canadians, including former Prime Ministers.

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The Canadian Ismaili Community’s Statement on the Passing of the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney

In its issue dated March 2, 2024, the Canadian Ismaili newsletter Al-Akhbar has released the following statement on the passing of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney:

“The 18th Canadian Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney passed away on February 29, 2024. The Ismaili Community offers its heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

“Prime Minister Mulroney officially opened the Ismaili Centre Vancouver – the first Ismaili Centre and purpose-built Jamatkhana in North America – in the presence of Mawlana Hazar Imam in August 1985.

“He has been a friend of Ismaili community and a supporter of the institutions of the Imamat over many years.”

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1985 and 1992: Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and His Highness the Aga Khan in Photographs

1985: Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Opens the First High Profile Ismaili Centre and Jamatkhana in North America

Mr Prime Minister, it is my privilege to ask you to declare open this building, which symbolises the Ismaili Community’s confidence in its future as an integral part of the nation you lead — His Highness the Aga Khan

Excerpts from Remarks by His Highness the Aga Khan

“Three years and a month ago I had the honour of inviting the former Lieutenant Governor to lay the foundation stone of the building which we now see complete before us. Today it gives me the very greatest pleasure to welcome here the Prime Minister, Mr Mulroney, and to thank him for agreeing to perform the Opening Ceremony. We are also privileged to have so many members of the federal and provincial governments present for an occasion which is a truly historic one for the Ismaili community in North America.

“In May this year, Mr Prime Minister, you addressed members of another, much longer established, immigrant community in Edmonton: namely the Ukrainians. One of their motivations for settling in Canada, you observed, “was the pursuit of freedom – freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom to own property, and freedom from arbitrary government.”

“Such sentiments drew Ismailis here in their turn. The majority arrived in the early 1970s as a result of political disturbances in Africa. That they have been successful in putting down roots is substantially due to the warm hearted welcome they have been given by this great country, where the concept of multiculturalism has real and effective meaning.

“In the future, I hope that the Ismaili community in Canada, having established the permanency of its home here, will become part of the reservoir of human talent on which this country can draw, both nationally and internationally.

“Mr Prime Minister, it is my privilege to ask you to declare open this building, which symbolises the Ismaili Community’s confidence in its future as an integral part of the nation you lead. (Full speech HERE).

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Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s Warm Tribute to His Highness the Aga Khan and the Ismailis at the Opening of the Ismaili Centre and Jamatkhana, Vancouver, August 23, 1985.

“Nine hundred years ago, long before Canada began its magnificent process of nation building, your [Ismaili] community was building universities and seats of culture in places far away from here. Today, in Canada and throughout the world, through the industry of individual Ismailis and the assistance of the Aga Khan Foundation for which we salute you, you are building religious centres, hospitals and schools and sharing your energy and your industry and your vision with all of us. Your religious centre stands today as a proud and a noble symbol of your commitment to the beauty and eternal values of all human religion, based on love and respect and hope, and of Canada’s commitment to the effervescent variety of life — Prime Minister Mulroney

“Your Highness, only here could you have a French speaking Prime Minister of Irish origin from Quebec opening an Ismaili Centre in British Columbia, designed by an architect of Italian Catholic origin. And I think, Your Highness, that that says it better than perhaps statistics or anything else, what Canada is all about in the sense of tolerance and dignity, and I know that I speak on behalf of everyone here and all Canadians in extending to you, Your Highness, and to your party the warmest welcome here today, and to tell you and your people how proud we are that you have chosen Canada.

“I thank you in a special way for inviting me to share this important day with you. I know how much satisfaction you must all be taking in the accomplishment of such an important cultural and religious task. This building, I toured it a little earlier, makes our senses dance to the music of visual art, a great tribute to the architect and an art which tests not just our appreciation of form and light, but of the intellectual and spiritual messages revealed in the marble, sandstone and glass, brought to this beautiful city from so far away.

“I have come to pay tribute, on behalf of the people of Canada, to the religion which inspired this building, to its people, and to His Highness the Aga Khan, and to the many other members of the Ismaili community whose generosity has given life to this beautiful religious centre. Our philosophy, our values are reflected in this architecture, a building such as this is a compliment to Vancouver, to our nation and to our civilisation, and today — and I know I speak on behalf of representatives of all political parties whom I see here today, from all walks of life, when I tell the leadership of the community and you, Sir, that today we gather together to celebrate the opening of a building marked by subtlety and grace and we do so with pride and affection.

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“Those Canadians who are not Ismailis can, I suppose, never completely share your history, however we can and we do share the most important values of your faith. Your religion has found a home in Canada, a land that has been a refuge for all of us over the years because we are all children of immigrants. We have found a refuge from mistrust and hatred and violence for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing countries less fortunate. The tolerance and honesty and generosity which are such an important part of your faith are all essential elements in that unique blend of cultures, languages and religions and histories which we know as Canada. And as Canadians, we must all continue to take what is civilised and ennobling and exciting from every culture that thrives in the rich soil of our freedom, and must forever leave behind that which is ugly or violent.

“La tolerance, l’honnêteté et Ia génrosité, ces elements si important de votre foi sont aussi partie intégrante de l’extraordinaire mosaique des cultures, des langues et des religions, des patrimoines qui constitue le Canada. En tant que canadiens, nous devons continuer d’emprunter à toutes les cultures qui s’épanouissent librement chez nous ce qu’elles offrent de civilisé, d’enrichissant et d’enthousiasman et bannir à tout jamais tout ce qui est de violence et de laideur.

“The old and changeless values of love and understanding of tolerance and brotherhood, the values which breathe life into every major religion, are welcome in Canada, and the old and sometimes equally changeless passions of hatred and intolerance that we see elsewhere are not. As victims of racial and religious intolerance, Ismailis recognise the need of many new Canadians for a fresh beginning in a free and peaceful land.

“You have recognised and responded well to the call that Canada makes on all of her new citizens. Not a call, never a call to give up old cultures, but a call always to bury historic enmities, to preserve our society, a uniquely civilised, I think, and prosperous and peaceful land. All Canadians, new or old, must rejoice in the energy of our differences and turn our backs on old hatreds and old misunderstandings. Our embrace of civilised diversity is our strength and our protection from the savage winds of violence which afflict so many parts of the world. Winds which have indeed buffeted the Ismaili community throughout the world on many occasions, but never, I trust, in Canada.

“We derive our strength, our energy and our freedom as Canadians from our diversity, and while you may remain separate from other Canadians in the specifics of your faith, you are joined intimately with us in your love of peace and your appreciation of what a jewel we have in this gentle, civilised and mature country. Like any gem, Canada at times shows a rough edge, occasionally at election time, Your Excellency, but its beauty and value are evidence when we hold our country up to the light of human experience.

“Ismailis are a very important and positive part of that human experience. Nine hundred years ago, long before Canada began its magnificent process of nation building, your community was building universities and seats of culture in places far away from here. Today, in Canada and throughout the world, through the industry of individual Ismailis and the assistance of the Aga Khan Foundation for which we salute you, you are building religious centres, hospitals and schools and sharing your energy and your industry and your vision with all of us. Your religious centre stands today as a proud and a noble symbol of your commitment to the beauty and eternal values of all human religion, based on love and respect and hope, and of Canada’s commitment to the effervescent variety of life.

“Thank you, Your Highness, for permitting me and for permitting all Canadians to share this important moment with you. We wish you well. On behalf of the people of Canada, we wish you peace and we wish you God speed.

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The Ismaili in Conversation with the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney on the 35th Anniversary of the Opening of the Ismaili Centre Vancouver

On August 23, 2020, the 35th anniversary of the opening of the Ismaili Centre Vancouver, Ismaili journalist Salimah Shivji conducted a special interview with former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in which he reflects back on the contributions of the Ismaili Centre, and how the Centre and community can continue to shape the community’s future. Please watch the YouTube video below.

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1992: Prime Minister Brian Mulroney Welcomes His Highness the Aga Khan for Lunch at Harrington Lake

Nineteen ninety-two was a memorable year for the Ismaili Muslim community (Jamat) in Canada. July 11th, 1992, marked the 35th anniversary of Mawlana Hazar Imam His Highness the Aga Khan’s accession to the Throne of Imamat. A month later, Mawlana Hazar Imam graced the Jamat with a 14-day visit. During the visit, the Government of Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency, signed an Accord of Cooperation with the Aga Khan Development Network.

Mawlana Hazar Imam began his visit on August 13, 1992, in Ottawa, the nation’s capital, where he was welcomed to Canada on behalf of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney by Mr. Emile Martel, Deputy Chief of Protocol for the Government of Canada. During his visit to Ottawa, Mawlana Hazar Imam met Government leaders and ministers and on Friday, August 14, 1992, Mawlana Hazar Imam had lunch with the Prime Minister Brian Mulroney at the Prime Minister’s summer retreat, Harrington Lake, just outside the capital.

As Canadian’s mourn the death of a great Prime Minister, we present a collection of photographs of Prime Minister Mulroney with His Highness the Aga Khan taken during the opening of the Ismaili Centre in 1985 and at Harrington Lake in 1992, when the Prime Minister welcomed His Highness for lunch. This is our fond tribute to the Prime Minister, as we offer our sincerest condolences to the Late Prime Minister’s family.

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Date posted: March 1, 2024.
Last updated: March 2, 2024 (added Ismaili community condolence, and Ismaili Centre Vancouver 35th anniversary video).

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