[FlamesAddiction]

A GST is probably one of the more fair taxes there are. The issue isn't really the GST, but that it was on top of other taxes and not a replacement as it was promoted.

A lot of people hated the idea of NAFTA at the time and saw it as giving away some sovereignty. There was a lot of talk about selling out Canadian industry and resources to the Americans, rather than investing in Canada.

There was also the failed Meech Lake Accord which revived Quebec separatism.

Privatizing Crown Corporations (part of the reason the GST was created).

I am not really informed enough on the positive and negative trade offs to have an opinion, but those were a few of the main controversies. In general though, Mulroney was hugely popular at the beginning of his office and would probably be better than most politicians in this country today. He'd probably be considered a centrist by today's standards.