65 Facts About Paul Martin

Paul Martin unsuccessfully ran for leader of the Liberal Party in 1990, losing to Jean Chretien.

Paul Martin would become Chretien's longtime rival for the leadership of the party, though was appointed his minister of finance after the Liberal victory in the 1993 federal election.

Paul Martin oversaw many changes in the financial structure of the Canadian government, and his policies had a direct effect on eliminating the country's chronic fiscal deficit by reforming various programs including social services.

In 2002, Paul Martin resigned as finance minister when the tension with Chretien reached its peak.

Paul Martin initially prepared to challenge Chretien's leadership, though Chretien announced his intention of retiring, triggering the November 2003 leadership election.

Paul Martin won the leadership easily and in the following month, succeeded Chretien as prime minister.

In 2005, the opposition parties in the House of Commons passed a motion of no confidence contending that Paul Martin's government was corrupt, as a result of new details from the sponsorship scandal that were released through the Gomery Report, triggering the 2006 federal election.

Paul Martin was defeated by the newly unified Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper, ending over 12 years of Liberal rule.

Shortly after, Paul Martin stepped down as leader of the Liberals and declined to seek re-election in 2008.

Now seen as a global diplomat, Paul Martin continues to contribute on the international arena through a variety of initiatives such as Incentives for Global Health, the not-for-profit behind the Health Impact Fund, where he serves as a member of the advisory board.

Paul Martin sits as an advisor to Canada's Ecofiscal Commission.

Paul Martin was born at Hotel-Dieu of St Joseph Hospital in Windsor, Ontario, and grew up in Windsor and Ottawa.

Paul Martin had one sister, Mary-Anne Bellamy, who was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at a young age.

Paul Martin contracted polio in 1946 at the age of eight.

Paul Martin was a member of the U of T Young Liberals during his time at the University of Toronto.

Paul Martin then attended the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he received an LL.

On September 11,1965, Martin married Sheila Ann Cowan, with whom he has three sons: Paul, Jamie and David.

On November 22,1973, Paul Martin was appointed president and CEO of the CSL Group.

In 1988, Paul Martin was elected as the Member of Parliament for the southwestern Montreal riding of LaSalle-Emard.

Paul Martin was re-elected without much difficulty at every election until he retired from politics.

Paul Martin was a candidate at the 1990 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, losing to Jean Chretien in a bitter race that resulted in lasting animosity between the two men and their supporters.

Paul Martin, favouring Meech, attempted to force Chretien to abandon his nuanced position on the deal and declare for or against it.

Jean Lapierre and his supporters, who supported Paul Martin, wore black armbands at the convention to protest Chretien's victory.

In 1998, Paul Martin introduced a balanced budget, an event that had occurred only twice in 36 years before 1997.

Also during his tenure as finance minister, Paul Martin coordinated a series of meetings between the finance ministers of all provinces to discuss the pending crisis in the Canada Pension Plan.

Consequently, Paul Martin oversaw the creation of a general public consultation process in February 1996 that eventually led to major structural reform of the CPP.

Paul Martin's tactics, including those of using contributor's funds from RCMP, Military and Civil Service pension plans and Employment Insurance, created further controversy.

Paul Martin left Cabinet, being replaced by John Manley as finance minister.

On September 21,2003, Paul Martin easily defeated his sole remaining opponent, former Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps, securing 93 percent of the party delegates.

Paul Martin had won the leadership almost unopposed, due to his hold on the party machinery, and because Chretien supporters did not rally around either of the leadership opponents.

On December 12,2003, Paul Martin was appointed by then Governor General Adrienne Clarkson as the 21st Prime Minister of Canada.

When sworn in as prime minister, Paul Martin held the flag that flew on Parliament Hill when the elder Paul Martin died.

Paul Martin acknowledged that there was political direction but denied involvement in, or knowledge of, the sponsorship contracts.

Paul Martin had a judicial inquiry called to investigate what came to be known as the Sponsorship Scandal, and nominated John Gomery to head it.

Paul Martin advised Governor General Adrienne Clarkson to call an election for June 28,2004.

The Paul Martin government faced combined challenges from Quebec separatism and general hostility arising from the Sponsorship Scandal.

Paul Martin introduced changes to the equalization program, under which the Federal Government is constitutionally obligated to redistribute federal revenue to provinces having less ability to raise revenues through taxation than wealthier provinces.

NDP leader Jack Layton followed suit soon after with a similar guarantee, and later Paul Martin promised that under a Liberal government both provinces would receive the same deal, except only for oil resources.

Paul Martin claimed Stronach's move was due to concerns over the direction the Conservative Party was taking; others accused Stronach of political opportunism.

Paul Martin voted with the government, following the tradition that the Speaker votes to continue debate, and that allowed the budget to pass through the House on May 19,2005.

Paul Martin opposed same-sex marriage in a 1999 vote on the issue along with a majority of MPs, but changed his stance on the issue in 2004, citing recent court rulings and his personal belief that same-sex marriage was primarily a human rights issue.

In November 2005, the Paul Martin government reached a historic consensus with Canada's provinces, territories, First Nations, Metis and Inuit.

Paul Martin's decision met with much praise, but others saw that the government was distancing itself from the US His government continued to cooperate with the United States on border control, refugee claimants, and defense, and he appointed seasoned Liberal politician Frank McKenna as Canada's ambassador to Washington.

Paul Martin was criticized for failing to reach a foreign-aid target of 0.7 percent of GDP, most notably by Bono of Irish rock group U2.

Paul Martin later responded that, in his view, many foreign leaders had made pledges that were too fanciful and that he would only commit to targets that he knew his government could be held accountable for.

Paul Martin became involved in a diplomatic row with the United States administration after accusing, with Bill Clinton, the US of not listening to global environmental concerns.

Paul Martin rejected US Ambassador David Wilkins's rebuke and said he was standing up for Canada's interests over softwood and other issues.

Paul Martin promoted the expansion of the G8 into a larger group of twenty nations, G20, whose inaugural chairman was himself.

Paul Martin forged a closer relationship with the People's Republic of China by announcing the strategic partnership initiative during PRC President Hu Jintao's state visit to Canada in September 2005.

Paul Martin campaigned on a vision of Canada different from that of the Conservatives, centering on issues of health care, daycare, tax cutting, and national autonomy.

One notable gaffe was Liberal Party strategist Scott Reid's suggestion that parents might buy beer and popcorn with the Conservatives' child care subsidy, although Paul Martin declined to apologize.

Paul Martin was criticized for portraying himself as the defender of Canadian unity; some opponents said that the election was not a referendum while others pointed to the Sponsorship Scandal.

Paul Martin did not put in a strong performance during the televised campaign debates.

One unreleased ad was seen widely as disrespectful of the military and it not only overshadowed the other ads but forced Paul Martin to defend it instead of releasing new policies.

The next day, Paul Martin officially informed Governor General Michaelle Jean of his intention to resign as prime minister.

Paul Martin remained as prime minister until the Harper minority government was sworn on February 6,2006.

Paul Martin chose the following jurists to be appointed as justices of the Supreme Court of Canada by the Governor General:.

Paul Martin temporarily remained nominal Liberal party leader until March 18,2006, when he submitted his resignation to party executives, who handed that post to Graham for the interim until that next leadership convention could be held.

At the Liberal convention in Montreal, Paul Martin was officially neutral in the contest.

The party's tribute to Paul Martin was hosted by former Olympian Mark Tewksbury.

CTV in November 2008 reported that Paul Martin would be a member of a four-person council of economic advisers to a coalition government formed by the Liberals and the NDP if they succeed in toppling the Harper government.

Paul Martin was asked by Kofi Annan, Gordon Brown, and other international politicians and diplomats to help African countries develop their economic potential.

In 2009, Paul Martin was co-chair of the Congo Basin Forest Fund, along with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Wangari Maathai, to address global warming and poverty issues in a ten-nation region in Africa.

In September 2022, Paul Martin attended Elizabeth II's state funeral, along with other former Canadian prime ministers.

Paul Martin lives in Knowlton Quebec and is an enthusiastic member of the Brome Lake Golf club.