just as Thatcher had done in the United Kingdom in
- After the election, he retired from politics and
returned to the practice of law, becoming a senior
partner in the Montreal law firm of Ogilvy Renault.
He also sat on the boards of various major compa-
nies.
Impact The beneficial effect of NAFTA on the Ca-
nadian economy was pronounced. The recession at
the beginning of the 1990’s began to lift by 1993,
largely as a result of the agreement. Trade with the
United States especially continued to grow, and by
2004 the United States and Canada were the biggest
trade partners in the world; trade between the two
countries was worth some $700 billion annually.
Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative Party lost all
but two of its parliamentary seats in the 1993 elec-
tions. The change of leadership to Kim Campbell,
Canada’s first female prime minister, had no effect
at all on the party’s unpopularity, which remained
for many years. Reassessment of Mulroney’s national
and international contributions has varied widely,
and he remains a controversial figure. His recogni-
tion of the independence of postcommunist coun-
tries has been praised, especially by the Ukraine,
as has his help in ending apartheid in South Africa.
His environmental policies, also, have come out as
forward-looking.
Further Reading
Blake, Raymond B., ed.Transforming the Nation: Can-
ada and Brian Mulroney.Montreal: McGill-Queen’s
University Press, 2007. Leading Canadian politi-
cians and scholars discuss the major policy de-
bates of Mulroney’s period of office.
McDonald, Marci.Yankee Doodle Dandy: Brian Mul-
roney and the American Agenda.Toronto: Stoddart,
- One of a number of books and articles
highly critical of the influence of big business on
Mulroney.
Mulroney, Brian.Memoirs: 1939-1993.Toronto: Mc-
Clelland & Stewart, 2007. Mulroney’s own account
of his political life until his resignation.
Savoie, Donald J. Thatcher, Reagan, Mulroney: In
Search of a New Bureaucracy.Pittsburgh: University
of Pittsburgh Press, 1994. Examines the common
beliefs of all three conservative leaders toward
privatization and the reduction of state bureau-
cracy.
David Barratt
See also Bloc Québécois; Business and the econ-
omy in Canada; Campbell, Kim; Canada and the
British Commonwealth; Canada and the United
States; Charlottetown Accord; Chrétien, Jean; Elec-
tions in Canada; Foreign policy of Canada; North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).Murphy Brown
Identification Television comedy series
Date Aired from 1988 to 1998This groundbreaking series won eighteen Emmy Awards,
including two for Outstanding Comedy Series during its
ten-season run and five for star Candice Bergen.When it premiered in 1988,Murphy Brownwas a very
funny series, similar toThe Mar y Tyler Moore Show, but
with a more cynical Mary as its protagonist and with
topical news headlines incorporated into many of
the story lines. Candice Bergen played Murphy, a re-
covering and world-weary alcoholic reporter, just
back from the Betty Ford Center in the first episode,
who works for the Washington, D.C.-based magazine
television showFYI. The supporting cast included
Grant Shaud as emotional yuppie producer Miles
Silverberg; Charles Kimbrough as stuffy Jim Dial, an-
chor onFYI; Faith Ford as former model but now
flighty reporter Corky Sherwood; Joe Regalbuto as
macho correspondent Frank Fontana; and, perhaps
most important, Robert Pastorelli as the moody
beatnik housepainter Eldin Bernecky, who serves
as Murphy’s sounding board and nanny. Plotlines
covered everything from romance to friendship,
national politics to office politics, with a running
joke throughout the series being the revolving door
of secretaries that Murphy has. One episode had
John F. Kennedy, Jr., showing up to publicize his new
magazine,George, with Murphy mistaking him for
her new secretary.
Perhaps the most controversial story line involved
Murphy’s pregnancy. The father is her ex-husband,
Jake Lowenstein, a political activist who was unable
to commit to fatherhood. The pregnancy was heavily
criticized by family values groups and then vice presi-
dent Dan Quayle, who accused single mom Murphy
of being a poor example of a parent, public com-
ments that ignited a firestorm of discussion on the
importance of marriage and legitimacy. However,The Nineties in America Murphy Brown 593