 Equipment acquisitions such as the M113 APC and Leopard tank marked a modernization, as did the use of the Cougar and Grizzly AVGP in armoured reconnaissance and mechanized infantry roles.In 1984, the Progressive Conservatives under Brian Mulroney government won the general election.The Conservative platform promised to undo the neglect of the Trudeau years, but in office the Mulroney government was torn between increasing the military budget; patronage politics which committed the government to rewarding supporters with contracts, which often had no military justification;and a desire to balance the budget.