Tunagate was a 1985 Canadian political scandal involving large quantities of tuna that had been declared unfit for human consumption that were sold to the public under order of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, John Fraser.
[2] The day after the story broke, both opposition parties attacked Fraser, and on Thursday, a recall of the tuna was announced.
Rules were changed to make it impossible for ministers to overrule the decision of food inspectors.
Mulroney was also accused of being less than truthful when he told the New York Times he had fired Fraser as soon as he had heard of the affair, when in fact it had taken six days.
The four hundred employees of the New Brunswick plant were put out of work as one of the largest employers in Charlotte County shut down.