The Secret Mulroney Tapes
Encyclopedia
The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister is a controversial biography
of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
, by veteran writer and former Mulroney confidant Peter C. Newman
.
The book was released by Random House
Canada on September 12, 2005.
interview
s, amounting to more than 7400 pages of transcripts, with Mulroney himself, family, friends, colleagues and contemporaries.
In the book, Mulroney opens up his darkest secrets and his innermost thoughts. In the interviews, he proclaimed himself the greatest Prime Minister since John A. Macdonald
, and claimed that Pierre Trudeau
opposed the Meech Lake Accord
to try to destroy him. Mulroney claims that "Trudeau's contribution was not to build Canada but to destroy it, and I had to come in to save it."
Mulroney describes his successor Kim Campbell
as a "very vain person who blew the 1993 election because she was too busy screwing around with her Russian boyfriend" (Gregory Lekhtman
), resulting in "the most incompetent campaign I've seen in my life."
Kim Campbell responded to the news by saying that Mulroney just wanted a "scapegoat who would bear the burden of his unpopularity".
This view is disputed by Newman, who claims that an agreement was struck between the two men in 1976, shortly before Mulroney's first run at the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party. Newman claims that Mulroney agreed to grant him privileged access on a regular basis should Mulroney become Prime Minister. According to Newman, Mulroney wanted someone to write a definitive history of his time as Prime Minister, warts and all. "I don't want a puff job," Mulroney allegedly told Newman. Newman writes that he didn't get one, and that the only pre-condition was that any book (based on the interviews) be published after Mulroney left office, which happened in early 1993. The original agreement allegedly also included a provision granting Newman access to documents from the Mulroney period -- some of them cabinet confidences -- in order to round out the book and provide historical evidence and perspective to Mulroney's taped words. In 1995, Newman writes that Mulroney changed the terms of the agreement and denied access to the documents.
Newman now says this wasn't the book he wanted to write, but that he was prevented from writing an unbiased historical look at Mulroney's term in office because he wasn't given everything that he was originally promised. Unwilling to let the tapes sit unused, Newman instead wrote this book, which was released September 12, 2005. There has been speculation that the reason behind Mulroney's alleged decision not to grant access to the documents originally promised was that he is planning to release his own memoirs in the next year. It has been suggested by some media outlets that Newman released his book now, rather than wait until Mulroney had a chance to get his own edited and sanitized version out by publishing his own memoirs.
After the publication of the book, Jean Charest
, a former Cabinet minister under Mulroney and current premier of Quebec
, came to his defence in a press conference, saying that he agrees with the statement that "Nobody has achievements like this ... you cannot name a Canadian prime minister who has done as many significant things as I did, because there are none." Charest pointed out that Mulroney was the father of Free Trade and that the GST
was a good thing for the Canadian economy.
Newman has pledged to make the tapes available publicly at a later date. The original tapes are now located in a special collections archive at the University of Toronto where Newman says they will remain safe for future historians.
broadcast a two-hour feature documentary based on the tapes. In the documentary, select excerpts from the tapes were intercut between commentary from Newman. The biggest difference between the documentary and the book was the documentary's inclusion of Peter Newman's voice from the audio tapes. Rarely seen archival news footage of Mulroney formed the bulk of the visuals for this program. This program was produced and directed by Mike Sheerin
, who had previously been nominated for a Gemini Award
for making the Life and Times of Peter C. Newman
. After the documentary aired on November 21 2005 the book was listed as the #5 bestselling non-fiction book in Canada according to Maclean's
, whereas the previous week it had been #7.
The suit had three main demands:
Prior to this, on November 17, 2005, Mulroney's friend, scandal-ridden former media lord Conrad Black
, filed a libel suit again Newman for "falsely and maliciously accusing him of breaking criminal laws, including mail and wire fraud and money laundering in his 2004 book about Black." It is notable that these are the same charges that Black faced in the United States in 2007, some of which he was convicted on.
On December 5, 2005, Mulroney accepted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Concordia University
. During the speech, he joked that he would be brief because he could only speak at length when he's being tape recorded - making a passing joke about the tapes.
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
, by veteran writer and former Mulroney confidant Peter C. Newman
Peter C. Newman
Peter Charles Newman, CC, CD is a Canadian journalist and writer.Born in Vienna, Austria, Newman emigrated from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to Canada in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. His father, Oscar, was a self-made wealthy factory owner. Newman was educated at Upper Canada College, where he was...
.
The book was released by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
Canada on September 12, 2005.
Content and controversies of the book
The book is based on hours of tapedTape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s, amounting to more than 7400 pages of transcripts, with Mulroney himself, family, friends, colleagues and contemporaries.
In the book, Mulroney opens up his darkest secrets and his innermost thoughts. In the interviews, he proclaimed himself the greatest Prime Minister since John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
, and claimed that Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
opposed the Meech Lake Accord
Meech Lake Accord
The Meech Lake Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and ten provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982 Canadian Constitution and increase...
to try to destroy him. Mulroney claims that "Trudeau's contribution was not to build Canada but to destroy it, and I had to come in to save it."
Mulroney describes his successor Kim Campbell
Kim Campbell
Avril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
as a "very vain person who blew the 1993 election because she was too busy screwing around with her Russian boyfriend" (Gregory Lekhtman
Gregory Lekhtman
Gregory Lekhtman is a Canadian inventor and entrepreneur, who created and markets the Exerloper system of exercise boots. He immigrated to Canada in 1974, and resides in Montreal....
), resulting in "the most incompetent campaign I've seen in my life."
Kim Campbell responded to the news by saying that Mulroney just wanted a "scapegoat who would bear the burden of his unpopularity".
Mulroney's reaction
Via a spokesman, Mulroney said he was "devastated" and "betrayed" by Newman. He went further, saying "I was reckless in talking with Peter C. Newman... This was my mistake and I'm going to have to live with it." Mulroney also said that most of the time he was not aware that his conversations were being recorded.This view is disputed by Newman, who claims that an agreement was struck between the two men in 1976, shortly before Mulroney's first run at the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party. Newman claims that Mulroney agreed to grant him privileged access on a regular basis should Mulroney become Prime Minister. According to Newman, Mulroney wanted someone to write a definitive history of his time as Prime Minister, warts and all. "I don't want a puff job," Mulroney allegedly told Newman. Newman writes that he didn't get one, and that the only pre-condition was that any book (based on the interviews) be published after Mulroney left office, which happened in early 1993. The original agreement allegedly also included a provision granting Newman access to documents from the Mulroney period -- some of them cabinet confidences -- in order to round out the book and provide historical evidence and perspective to Mulroney's taped words. In 1995, Newman writes that Mulroney changed the terms of the agreement and denied access to the documents.
Newman now says this wasn't the book he wanted to write, but that he was prevented from writing an unbiased historical look at Mulroney's term in office because he wasn't given everything that he was originally promised. Unwilling to let the tapes sit unused, Newman instead wrote this book, which was released September 12, 2005. There has been speculation that the reason behind Mulroney's alleged decision not to grant access to the documents originally promised was that he is planning to release his own memoirs in the next year. It has been suggested by some media outlets that Newman released his book now, rather than wait until Mulroney had a chance to get his own edited and sanitized version out by publishing his own memoirs.
After the publication of the book, Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
, a former Cabinet minister under Mulroney and current premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
, came to his defence in a press conference, saying that he agrees with the statement that "Nobody has achievements like this ... you cannot name a Canadian prime minister who has done as many significant things as I did, because there are none." Charest pointed out that Mulroney was the father of Free Trade and that the GST
Goods and Services Tax (Canada)
The Goods and Services Tax is a multi-level value added tax introduced in Canada on January 1, 1991, by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his finance minister Michael Wilson. The GST replaced a hidden 13.5% Manufacturers' Sales Tax ; Mulroney claimed the GST was implemented because the MST...
was a good thing for the Canadian economy.
Newman has pledged to make the tapes available publicly at a later date. The original tapes are now located in a special collections archive at the University of Toronto where Newman says they will remain safe for future historians.
CBC special
On Monday 21 November 2005 the Canadian Broadcasting CorporationCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
broadcast a two-hour feature documentary based on the tapes. In the documentary, select excerpts from the tapes were intercut between commentary from Newman. The biggest difference between the documentary and the book was the documentary's inclusion of Peter Newman's voice from the audio tapes. Rarely seen archival news footage of Mulroney formed the bulk of the visuals for this program. This program was produced and directed by Mike Sheerin
Mike Sheerin
Mike Sheerin is a Canadian, Toronto-based documentary director and producer. His documentaries include: Hunting Arrows , The Biographer's Voice , The Degrassi Story , The Secret Mulroney Tapes , Encounters with Moses , Welcome to Canadaville...
, who had previously been nominated for a Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
for making the Life and Times of Peter C. Newman
Peter C. Newman
Peter Charles Newman, CC, CD is a Canadian journalist and writer.Born in Vienna, Austria, Newman emigrated from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to Canada in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. His father, Oscar, was a self-made wealthy factory owner. Newman was educated at Upper Canada College, where he was...
. After the documentary aired on November 21 2005 the book was listed as the #5 bestselling non-fiction book in Canada according to Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
, whereas the previous week it had been #7.
Mulroney lawsuit
On November 23, 2005, Brian Mulroney filed a lawsuit against Newman, arguing that Newman had broken the terms of the deal about how the tapes should be used, as well as what would happen to them if Newman did not produce the "scholarly and serious" biography of him that Mulroney expected.The suit had three main demands:
- Newman ceases any future plans to print or broadcast the tapes, with the court imposing a permanent injunction to ensure he doesn't.
- Any money Newman has already made from the tapes is to be donated to two hospitals in Toronto and Montreal.
- The tapes are to be turned over to Library and Archives CanadaLibrary and Archives CanadaLibrary and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...
.
Prior to this, on November 17, 2005, Mulroney's friend, scandal-ridden former media lord Conrad Black
Conrad Black
Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour, OC, KCSG, PC is a Canadian-born member of the British House of Lords, and a historian, columnist and publisher, who was for a time the third largest newspaper magnate in the world. Lord Black controlled Hollinger International, Inc...
, filed a libel suit again Newman for "falsely and maliciously accusing him of breaking criminal laws, including mail and wire fraud and money laundering in his 2004 book about Black." It is notable that these are the same charges that Black faced in the United States in 2007, some of which he was convicted on.
On December 5, 2005, Mulroney accepted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
. During the speech, he joked that he would be brief because he could only speak at length when he's being tape recorded - making a passing joke about the tapes.
External links
- Random House Canada website
- ISBN ISBN 0-679-31351-6
- Secret Mulroney Tapes on 90th Parallel Productions website