Grade 10 History Notes

Post-Trudeau Era: John Turner and Brian Mulroney

• John Turner: Prime Minister for about 80 days, lost to Brian Mulroney in the 1984 election.

Brian Mulroney's Objectives

• Run Canada like a business to improve economy.
• Bring Quebec into the constitution.

Investment Canada Act

• Welcoming investment from other countries.

Shift to Conservatism

• Inspired by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Free Trade

• Remove taxes and tariffs on goods crossing borders.
• Tariffs helped the Canadian economy fund things like healthcare.
• 1988 election: focused on free trade with the United States.

Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Impact

• FTA becomes lawful in 1989.
• Concerns about benefits to the US due to population size.

Goods and Services Tax (GST)

• Introduced January 1, 1991, to replace lost tariff revenue.
• 7% tax on everything.
• People felt lied to about the impact of free trade.

Northwest Passage

• Mulroney asserted it was Canadian water.
• Planned nuclear submarines and icebreakers to protect it.

Cod Fishery Crisis

• Commercial and illegal fishing led to cod extinction by early 1990s.
• Government paid fishermen companies close to 2,000,000,000.
• Memorial University research brought back cod fishery through fish farming.
• Reset the northern food chain.

Meech Lake Accord

• Goal: to get Quebec to sign constitution.
• Lucienne Bouchard brought into inner circle.
• Bouchard tells Mulrooney to negotiate with the new premier of Quebec, Borassa.
• Borassa wants more power to the provinces.

Meech Lake Accord Negotiations

• Negotiations start in 1987.
• To become law, had to be ratified by June 1990, and be unanimous.

Opposition to Meech Lake Accord

• Trudeau opposes, saying it will rip apart the country.
• Indigenous people not mentioned.
• Elijah Harper abstains from vote, killing the Meech Lake Accord.

Oka Crisis (1990)

• Expansion of golf course on indigenous burial ground.
• Indigenous protest and blockade.
• Quebec police involved, officer killed.
• Indigenous people from all over North America flood in.
• Montreal blockaded.
• Federal government buys land and returns it.
• Army sent in.

Persian Gulf War (1991)

• August 1990: Iraq invades Kuwait over money.
• January 15, 1991: Deadline for Iraq to withdraw (UN).
• January 17: Air war begins.
• February 24: Land war starts (100 hours).
• Canada participated in bombing.
• Canadian infantry kept home due to Oka crisis.

Charlottetown Accord

• Attempt to change constitution.
• Everything on the table.
• Jacques Perezo said it didn't go far enough.
• People voted no.

1993 Election and Mulroney's Legacy

• Mulroney had 9% approval rating.
• Kim Campbell becomes prime minister for three months.
• Conservatives go from 156 seats to 2.
• Mulroney's legacy: sold off companies, oil sands, GST, Meech Lake, Charlottetown, largest peacetime debt.