Shamrock Summit
The Shamrock Summit refers to the pivotal meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 17, 1985, in Quebec City. This summit marked a significant shift in Canadian foreign policy, moving from Pierre Trudeau’s neutral stance during the Cold War to a closer alignment with the United States. The meeting was notable not only for its political implications but also for its cultural significance, occurring on Saint Patrick's Day, which highlighted the Irish heritage shared by both leaders. During their time together, Mulroney and Reagan not only discussed policy but also forged a personal connection, exemplified by their duet of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling."
While the summit was seen positively by some, it faced criticism from elements of the Canadian media and the public who felt that Mulroney had compromised Canada’s independence and integrity in favor of American interests. Despite these concerns, the summit did not undermine Mulroney’s political viability; instead, he remained a popular leader during a period of economic growth, successfully leading his party to victory in the subsequent election. The event also provided Reagan with a boost amid his own political challenges, signifying the intertwined fates of both nations during that era.
Shamrock Summit
The Event A meeting between U.S. president Ronald Reagan and Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney
Date March 17, 1985
Place Quebec City, Canada
The amicable meeting between President Reagan and Prime Minister Mulroney underscored the growing closeness between their two North American countries.
During the ministry of Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau, which ended in 1984, Canada had often been at loggerheads with its neighbor and closest ally, the United States. When Brian Mulroney was voted into office on September 4, 1984, this situation changed. Mulroney firmly aligned Canada with the United States in geopolitical terms, abandoning Trudeau’s fitful attempt to stake out a neutralist position between the Americans and the Soviet Union. Mulroney also redirected Trudeau’s interest in developing countries to reaffirm economic and political ties with Canada’s large, industrialized trading partners. Though Mulroney did not have a total ideological affinity with the conservative Ronald Reagan —he was much further to the left on issues concerning the welfare state and the environment, for instance—the meeting between the two leaders scheduled for March 17, 1985, in Quebec City was anticipated to be a positive one, and it exceeded expectations in this regard.
The two leaders not only found common ground on policy positions but also formed a close personal bond. The fact that March 17 was Saint Patrick’s Day, dedicated to the patron saint of Ireland (whose symbol was the shamrock), underscored the two men’s ethnic origins in the Irish diaspora. When Reagan and Mulroney joined in a duet of the song “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” it was not only a moment of joviality but also a sense of shared identity, a solidarity of both ethnicity and moral temperament that welded the leaders in an affirmation of mutual beliefs. The meeting was also important for Mulroney’s international image, as it was the first time most casual observers of world politics had heard of him.
The Shamrock Summit, however, was not popular among many Canadian media commentators and those in the general population who held a strongly Canadian nationalist ideology. They believed that Mulroney had capitulated to the colossus to their south and had relinquished Canada’s idealistic and peace-seeking approach to the international situation, as well as the nation’s economic independence and the quality of life of its populace.
Impact
Many observers, remembering that previous Canadian prime ministers such as Sir Wilfrid Laurier had involuntarily left office because they were perceived to be too pro-American, waited for the meeting to damage Mulroney’s political viability. This, however, did not occur. Partially ballasted by Canada’s economic boom in the 1980’s, Mulroney remained popular enough to lead his party to victory in the next election, retaining the prime ministry in the process. The meeting also helped Reagan at a time when he was beginning to encounter some unusual political difficulties in the wake of his overwhelming reelection the year before, such as the controversy over his visit to the Nazi graves at Bitburg, Germany, two months later.
Bibliography
Martin, Lawrence. Pledge of Allegiance: The Americanization of Canada in the Mulroney Years. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1993.
Simpson, Jeffrey. The Anxious Years: Politics in the Age of Mulroney and Chrétien. Toronto: Lester, 1996.