Paul Edgar Philippe Martin Jr

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Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, Jr. 1938–, Canadian politician, prime minister (2003–6) of Canada, b. Windsor, Ont. The scion of a politically active family (his father served in parliament and ran unsuccessfully for Liberal party leader three times), Martin became a lawyer (1966) and president of Canada Steamship Lines (1974), which he later purchased. Elected as a Liberal to parliament in 1988, he made an unsuccessful bid for the party leadership post two years later. In 1993, Martin became finance minister under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien , and by the late 1990s had brought the federal budget out of deficit, making a name for himself as a fiscal conservative. By 2001, Martin was actively maneuvering to succeed Chétien, a situation that led the prime minister to fire the more popular Martin as finance minister in 2002. In Oct., 2002, Chrétien announced he would not seek a fourth term, and Martin began campaigning openly for the leadership post, which he won in Nov., 2003. He succeeded Chrétien as prime minister the following month. Elections in June, 2004, returned Martin and his party to power, albeit as a minority government forced to contend with fallout from financial improprieties that occurred under Chrétien. His government fell in Nov., 2005, forcing him to call an election, which the Liberals lost (Jan., 2006), and Martin resigned as party leader.

Martin, Paul (b. 28 Aug. 1938). Canadian Prime Minister 2003–  Born in Windsor (Ontario), he is the son of a long-serving Cabinet minister who lost three successive leadership contests for the Liberal Party. Paul Martin jr. entered the House of Commons for the Liberals in 1988, and was not quite senior enough to beat Chrétien in the 1990 leadership contest. He served as Minister of Finance from 1993, but resigned in 2002 in order to be free to contest Chrétien's leadership. To the latter's misgivings, he won the strong endorsement from the party rank-and-file to succeeded Chrétien. In office, he urged closer co-operation with the US, and embarked upon an ambitious programme of constitutional reform.