For many Canadians of a certain vintage, Brian Mulroney was one of our most unforgettable prime ministers. He swept into office with a massive majority in 1984, obliterating the Liberal party that had been in power for most of the previous two decades. Nine years later, it was Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives party that was decimated.

Mulroney’s death, which was announced today by his family, will lead to a lengthy examination of his legacy. Today in The Conversation Canada, Thomas Klassen, a professor at the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University, provides a sharp analysis of how one of Mulroney’s most significant decisions was to tie Canada’s future to the United States. The U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement negotiated by Mulroney and U.S. President Ronald Reagan changed Canada forever and became the blueprint of subsequent free trade deals.

Our regular newsletter will be in your Inbox at the usual time, but we’re sending this story now given the news of Mulroney’s death.