Tributes to Brian Mulroney: Little guy from Baie-Comeau

Baie-Comeau municipal authorities paid a vibrant tribute to one of the most illustrious citizens in the city’s history, Brian Mulroney, who died Thursday at the age of 84. The former Prime Minister was born in the town, about 400 kilometers from Quebec City.

In a long note published on its Facebook page, the City of Baie-Comeau described Mulroney as a hero and that his death caused immense sadness in the community.

The note indicates that even though he left his hometown a long time ago to pursue higher education, Mulroney always took care of Baie-Comeau in his words and in his actions. The nickname “little guy from Baie-Comeau” testified to his well-established origins and “he never forgot them.”

“The intrinsic love of Baie-Comeau, this natural way of inviting people to discover the city and visit it, his desire to talk about it at the slightest opportunity were undoubtedly the strongest and most powerful symbol that Mr. Mulroney left to his city,” according to municipal authorities. “They add that Mr. Mulroney said that everyone could be builders of their city, that they must all cherish it and take care of it, because the destiny of a community is in the hands of the people who populate it.”

In 2019, a tribute was held there at Sainte-Amélie Church, during the unveiling of a bust in Mulroney’s likeness.

That day, in a speech, the former prime minister said: “Baie-Comeau is without a doubt a young city which continues to forge its identity and which is building, step by step, the foundations of its heritage. We are a small community that must deal with the advantages and challenges of its geographic location. A warm locality which does not always realize that it has a lot of potential and that it has a real power of attraction.”

The city authorities add “that in Baie-Comeau, our illustrious son, Brian Mulroney, is part of our heritage. He is our hero. Mulroney, you embody the past, present and future of Baie-Comeau. Your story, your charisma and your love will inspire us forever.”

“The man was my hero,” said François Corriveau, the general manager of Baie-Comeau. “When I was a kid, I wasn’t looking to the TV watching for hockey games I was watching our great leaders.”

“My dad maintained a relationship with Mr. Mulroney and when came over here, Brian asked me how my father was,” he said.

Mulroney also knew Corriveau’s uncle who had previously picked him at the airport in Baie-Comeau. Mulroney asked Corriveau about him.

“I told him Gérald just died, so he was touched, it was great to see that he was somebody who was concerned with everybody.”

Corriveau says Mulroney was a great communicator and someone who had many stories to tell.

One of his favourite stories is when Mulroney had a meeting and was told there was a phone call for him.

“Mr. [Nelson] Mandela is calling to thank you for your contribution to his liberation,” Corriveau recounted of what a staffer had said. “Mr. Mulroney said, and ‘oh, that must be my friend Walter Brisson from Baie-Comeau, he’s always teasing me with with pranks.'”

Mulroney picked up the phone expecting to hear his friend.

“‘Hi, Walter,'” he said. “The guy at the end of the phone was really Mr. Mandela.”

Mulroney lived in Montreal for most of his life, ultimately settling in Westmount. Chez Nick on Greene Ave is a restaurant that he and his family had a special connection to.”The family have been coming in the restaurant for as long as I’ve been here,” said owner, Rob Callard. “The children came in here as kids and Brian not so often, but Mila is a regular over the years. Ben got engaged here to Jessica, his wife, who was also a childhood customer.”

While at Chez Nick, Callard says Mulroney’s presence was larger than life.

“Very very chatty, very personable, very likeable,” he said.

With files from La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews