Brian Mulroney even seen the CBC report that had created the initial and strong public reaction. Canada's response was overwhelming and led the U.S.A. and Britain to follow suit almost immediately — an unprecedented situation in foreign affairs at that time, since Ethiopia had a Marxist regime and had previously been isolated by Western governments. The Mulroney government also took a strong stand against the U.S. intervention in Nicaragua under Reagan, and accepted refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, and other countries with repressive regimes supported directly by the Reagan administration. During his tenure as prime minister, Brian Mulroney's close relationship with U.S.
Brian Mulroney him an advantage that eventually proved decisive. Because of health problems shortly after becoming party leader, Mulroney quit smoking in 1983. By the start of 1984, as Mulroney began learning the realities of parliamentary life in the House of Commons, the Tories took a substantial lead in opinion polling. It was almost taken for granted that Trudeau would be heavily defeated by Mulroney in the general election due no later than 1985. Trudeau announced his retirement in February, and the Liberal Party chose John Turner, previously the Minister of Finance under Trudeau in the 1970s, as its new leader. The