CANADA'S LEADER TO QUITI

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 25, 1993                   TAG: 9302250071
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: TORONTO                                LENGTH: Medium
CANADA'S LEADER TO QUITI
Brian Mulroney said Wednesday he will step down as prime minister and leader of Canada's Progressive Conservative Party, ending months of speculation about whether he might make a long-odds bid at re-election later this year.
His decision marks the end of an era for Canada: He has been prime minister for 8 1/2 years and has led the Conservatives in Parliament for a decade.
His departure may also prove another milestone in the reversal of conservative ideological fortunes in North America and Europe, coming on the heels of the exits of Margaret Thatcher in Britain and former President Bush in the United States, both personal friends and political allies.
Mulroney said he would carry on as prime minister until the Progressive Conservative Party could choose a successor at a leadership convention, probably in mid-June.
He said he would keep his seat in Parliament until the fall, but refused to say what he would do after that. Mulroney, formerly a labor lawyer and a business executive before his rise in politics, will be 54 next month and enjoys good health.
Canada must hold a national election by the fall, and public antipathy toward virtually all established politicians and major parties here is at high tide.
As prime minister, Mulroney has taken a far worse beating in the public-opinion polls than the leaders of the opposition parties. For two years, his approval ratings have been about 20 percent or below, the worst showing of any Canadian prime minister in modern times.
The major source of Mulroney's unpopularity has been his economic policies.
When he formed his government, in 1984, the Canadian budget deficit was thought dangerously large; his policy-makers set about cutting public spending and raising various taxes. When Mulroney began cutting treasured Canadian social programs, many turned angry.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB