By the mid-1980s, Canada was ready for change, and a coalition of nationalist Francophone forces in Quebec and Western Canadian Conservatives united to unseat the long-standing Liberal government. Despite the shift in power, many of the country's challenges persisted, including the separatist movement in Quebec and growing federal deficits. Efforts to address constitutional and federal-provincial relations through accords like Meech Lake and Charlottetown ultimately failed. A major change came in the form of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), reshaping Canada-U.S. relations. However, under Brian Mulroney’s leadership, the Conservative Party struggled to maintain cohesion. By the end of its second term, internal divisions tore the party apart. Quebec nationalists, frustrated by the failed accords, returned to the separatist movement, while right-wing conservatives broke away to form the Reform Party. Liberal conservatives drifted back to the Liberal Party, leaving the Progressive Conservatives fractured and significantly weakened.