Brian Mulroney (Cinco De Mayo)

Martin Brian Mulroney (born March 20, 1939) was a Canadian politician and pro-business activist, staunchly opposed to the stranglehold of the Canadian single-party system in place since the late 1930's. Mulroney, at the head of the Progressive Alliance for Canada, advocated free enterprise, the formation of trade unions, better relations with the United States of America, and a more robust Canadian presence on the world stage not overshadowed by Britain.

As the public face of the opposition to the ruling left-wing regime led by John Turner, Mulroney was jailed on several occasions but in 1989 ran in the first open election in Canada since the early 1920's as the candidate for the Progressive Conservatives (Prog-Tories), winning a plurality of the vote and becoming the first non-Socialist Prime Minister since the 1920's. As Prime Minister between 1989 and 1994, his popularity declined during the transition of Canada from socialist to non-socialist rule and the ending of the Cold War, due in large part to various corruption scandals and a poor economy. However, his lasting legacy remains the successful formation of the Prog-Tories and the end of the single-party Canadian state.