Watch CTV News' special coverage of Brian Mulroney's state funeral

Ahead of the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney, his son, Mark, reflected on the numerous anecdotes shared with him about the life his father lived.

"I think three people told me they got married because of Brian Mulroney," Mark said with a laugh during an interview with CTV National News Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor Omar Sachedina. "I had never heard those stories before."

Mark shared these and other stories ahead of his father's state funeral, which was held Saturday in Montreal. CTV News carried live special coverage of the funeral service.

The former Conservative leader died on Feb. 29, at age 84.

Mulroney had lain in state at the Sir John A. Macdonald building on Parliament Hill Tuesday and Wednesday, where members of the public were invited to visit and pay their respects. On Thursday and Friday, mourners were invited to visit Saint Patrick's Basilica in Montreal, where Mulroney lay.

CTV News' special coverage of Mulroney's funeral began Saturday at 9 a.m. EDT on CTVNews.ca, CTV News Channel, the CTV News app, CP24.com and the CP24 app. It will be available on-demand as well. 

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The funeral cortege included a Royal Canadian Mounted Police mounted escort, a Canadian Armed Forces escort, a guard of honour, the Royal Canadian Air Force band, RCMP pallbearers and honorary pallbearers.

The service, beginning at 11 a.m., was held at Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal and featured eulogies by his daughter and Ontario cabinet minister Caroline Mulroney, as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former U.S. secretary of state James Baker (delivered by colleague Timothy McBride) and Jean Charest, former premier of Quebec.

Guests invited to the ceremony included family, friends, current and former government representatives and dignitaries, as well as representatives of organizations to which Mr. Mulroney had a close connection.

The funeral service, which lasted shortly over two hours, incorporated religious elements, artistic components—including a performance by Mulroney's granddaughter—and concluded with a 19-gun salute.

‘He was always present’

During their interview, Sachedina asked Mark what he would miss most about his father.

"He was always there," Mark said. "When we were kids, he may have been travelling, but he was always present."

Mark said that his father maintained a relationship with all 16 grandkids, whose ages range from 20 to one. When Mark's son, Dylan, asked his grandfather if he would speak at his fifth grade graduation, he said he would be there, despite undergoing cancer treatment.

Mark Mulroney, son of former prime minister Brian Mulroney, speaks with CTV National News Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor Omar Sachedina before his father's state funeral on March 23. (Katie Damman/CTV News)

"He flew into Toronto to give a speech, and he got up there in his usual baritone and said, 'I've given a lot of speeches before, I've spoken at the U.S. Capitol, I've opened Parliament, but I don't think I've ever done a fifth grade graduation before.'"

The speech would be one of the former prime minister's final public appearances.

Some of the students in the graduation ceremony told CTV News how meaningful the moment was for them in their pursuit of speaking both of Canada’s official languages, highlighting Mulroney’s commitment to his love of Canada.

“For him to say how important it was meant a lot to me, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay,” Arya Janmohammad said. “Him saying it’s important to be bilingual encouraged me and inspired me to stay.”

Jordan Frazer also said he was inspired to continue learning French.

“I know students around me really took that to heart,” he said. “He may not know, but it was really important to all the students who were there.”

‘Incredibly passionate’ 

Elected in 1984 as Canada's 18th prime minister, Mulroney is remembered by leaders across Canadian politics as a formidable force of leadership. Serving close to nine years in the country's top job, Mulroney strengthened ties with the United States and Mexico with the advent of the North American Free Trade Agreement and was instrumental in the cascade of international sanctions on South Africa during the era of apartheid.

Since leaving office in 1993, Mulroney remained in the public eye, breaking ground in 2017 on the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at St. Francis Xavier University, his Nova Scotia alma mater. Mulroney is survived by his wife, Mila, and their four children: Caroline, Ben, Mark and Nicholas.

In a statement posted to social media following Mulroney's passing, Trudeau wrote that he was "devastated" to hear the news.

"He never stopped working for Canadians, and he always sought to make this country an even better place to call home," reads the statement. "I’ll never forget the insights he shared with me over the years – he was generous, tireless, and incredibly passionate."

With files from CTV News Senior Digital Parliamentary Reporter Rachel Aiello