Mila Mulroney

Milica "Mila" Mulroney (Serbian Cyrillic: Милица "Мила" Пивнички; née Pivnički; born July 13, 1953) is the wife of the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney. She was notable for taking on a greater role during her husband's tenure than previous spouses of Canadian prime ministers and for the criticism of lavish spending habits.[1][2]

Mila Mulroney
Mila Mulroney after a state visit in 1984
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada
In role September 17, 1984 – June 25, 1993
Preceded by	Geills Turner
Succeeded by	Aline Chrétien
Personal details
Born	Milica Pivnički July 13, 1953 Sarajevo, SR Bosnia-Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality	Canadian
Spouse(s)	Brian Mulroney ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	4 (including Caroline and Ben)
Relatives	Jessica Mulroney (daughter-in-law)

Early life

Mulroney was born Milica Pivnički to Serbian Orthodox parents Dimitrije "Mita" Pivnički and Bogdanka (née Ilić) in Sarajevo, PR Bosnia-Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia. Her first years were spent in the city of Sarajevo where her father practised medicine. In 1956, Dr. Pivnički took a research fellowship position at the Royal Victoria Hospital's Allan Memorial Institute of Psychiatry in Montreal. While his pregnant wife Bogdanka waited to join him, she moved with young Milica back to their hometown of Novi Bečej, Serbia. Finally, two years later, in 1958, she and their two children (five-year-old Milica and one-year-old Jovan) emigrated to Canada and joined Dimitrije in Montreal. Mila, the elder child, studied engineering at Concordia University, but did not graduate.[3]

At age 19, she married Brian Mulroney, then a 34-year-old lawyer, on May 26, 1973. Both were involved with the Progressive Conservatives (PC) in Westmount. They have one daughter, Caroline, and three sons, Ben, Mark, and Nicolas. Their youngest child, Nicolas, was born while the family was living in 24 Sussex Drive.[4] [5][6]

During Brian Mulroney tenure

Mila was a radical change from the wives of recent prime ministers — the feminist Maureen McTeer and the "wild child" Margaret Trudeau. Being a housewife, she greatly appealed to that demographic, especially in her responses to criticism from prominent feminists (including, in 1987, remarks from Sheila Copps). Many PC campaign buttons featured both Mulroney's face and hers, and Ontario Premier Bill Davis commented to Brian, "Mila will get you more votes for you than you will for yourself."[7]

She took on a greater role than many Prime Ministers' wives while Mulroney was in office, acting as a campaigner for several children's charities. Her role, which some claimed was trying to become a "First Lady," was criticized (especially when she hired a personal office and staff and for her lavish redecoration of the Prime Minister's residence). Her frequent shopping sprees became tabloid fodder, with some in the press dubbing her "Imelda" for her love of shoes (she allegedly had over 100 pairs).[8] In her book On the Take, Stevie Cameron accused Mila of trying to sell her old furniture to the government for much more than its value.

After Brian Mulroney tenure

Mila Mulroney is former Celebrity patron of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and of Astral.[9] In 2019, she was knighted in Serbia by Ivica Dačić (Knight of the St. Sava Order of Diplomatic Pacifism).[10]

See also

• Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada

References

1. CAMERON, STEVIE (October 31, 1994). "THE AGE OF EXCESS". Maclean's.
2. "Mulroneys' spending habits left a bad taste with former chef". thestar.com. 8 February 2008.
3. Peter C. Newman, The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Unguarded Confessions of a Prime Minister. Random House Canada, 2005, p. 211.
4. Taber, Jane (December 11, 2007). "Meet the Mulroneys". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
5. https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/mila-mulroney-a-future-prime-ministers-wife
6. Janigan, Mary (August 29, 1983). "Thoroughly old-fashioned Mila". Maclean's.
7. Mila: Mulroney's Not-so-secret Weapon, The Montreal Gazette, September 4, 1984
8. Gordon Donaldson, The Prime Ministers of Canada (Toronto: Doubleday Canada Limited, 1997), p. 339.
9. Mila Mulroney's page at Astral Media's website
10. "Milica Mulroney receives Knight of St. Sava Order of Diplomatic Pacifism". www.srbija.gov.rs. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.