Former prime minister Brian Mulroney recovering after prostate cancer treatment

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Former prime minister Brian Mulroney is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing treatment for cancer.

Canada’s 18th prime minister underwent treatment in Montreal and is on the mend, according to his only daughter – and Ontario cabinet minister – Caroline Mulroney.

“I have always known my dad to be a fighter. He has undergone treatment in Montreal and is doing much better,” she said in a brief statement Wednesday.

“He is currently recovering and we expect him to be back to normal in the coming weeks.”

A source with knowledge of his treatment said the former federal Progressive Conservative leader became sick with prostate cancer last year. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the individual because they were not permitted to discuss the personal information.

Last September, Mr. Mulroney delivered a eulogy for the Queen at the national commemorative ceremony in Ottawa, rather than going to London for her funeral.

“My family is comforted by the outpouring of support from across our country,” Ms. Mulroney said in her statement.

His time as prime minister was marked by historic highs and lows. In 1984, Mr. Mulroney won the largest victory in a federal election, setting the Progressive Conservatives up for two consecutive majority governments. But he resigned before the 1993 election that reduced his governing party to just two seats in the House of Commons.

Mr. Mulroney is celebrated for striking Canada’s first free-trade deal with the U.S., leading the fight against apartheid, and negotiating the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer. But his tenure was also marred by failed constitutional accords and the Airbus Affair.

The Toronto Star first reported Wednesday that Mr. Mulroney had been sick last fall and underwent treatment in November and December.

Mr. Mulroney is a lawyer and businessman and at 84 is still a senior partner at the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright Canada. His office said Wednesday that his health has fluctuated greatly in recent months but added that he is slowly recovering.

After being sidelined under former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper’s leadership, Mr. Mulroney has recently played a more prominent role in Canadian politics. He was on the stump with former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole in the 2021 federal election and last fall he doled out advice to newly elected Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre over dinner.

At the time, Mr. Mulroney told The Globe his advice to Mr. Poilievre was that he needs to appeal to Canada’s political centre if he wants to win government.

“You have got to go fish where the fish are,” he said. “You only win elections in Canada from the centre. You cannot win an election from either extreme. This has been proven time and time again. And anyone who wants to test that theory? Be my guest.”

Now at the top of Canada’s political and business elite, Mr. Mulroney often talks proudly of his humble roots. He was born into a working-class immigrant family in Baie-Comeau, Que. He and his wife, Mila, 69, have four children (Caroline, Mark, Ben and Nicholas) and 15 grandchildren.

With reports from John Ibbitson