Hon. Paul Martin

The Honourable Paul Martin, Minister of Finance, has been the Member of Parliament for Lasalle-Émard, Québec since 1988. Mr. Martin was sworn in as Minister of Finance on November 4, 1993. He was reappointed as Minister of Finance on June 11, 1997.

Less than two years after his election to the House of Commons in 1988, Mr. Martin was a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party, finishing second among five contenders at the Party's 1990 Leadership Convention.

As a Co-chair of the National Platform Committee of the Liberal Party of Canada, Mr. Martin played a key role in the formulation and development of the Liberal platform for the 1993 federal election. He was co-author of Creating Opportunity: The Liberal Plan for Canada (the Red Book) along with Chaviva Hosek.

Born in Windsor, Ontario in 1938, Mr. Martin was educated at the universities of Ottawa and Toronto, where he graduated with an Honours Degree in Philosophy. A graduate of the University of Toronto Law School, Mr. Martin was called to the Ontario Bar in 1966. The greater part of Mr. Martin's career in the private sector was as a business executive, first with Power Corporation of Canada, in Montreal, and later as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Steamship Lines. He also served as a corporate director for seven major Canadian companies.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Mr. Martin has been active with a wide range of community and service organizations.

Married to Sheila Ann (née Cowan), the Martins have three sons: Paul, Jamie and David.