John Turner

The Right Honourable John Napier Turner, PC , CC , QC , BA , MA , LL.D. (born June 7, 1929) was the seventeenth Prime Minister of Canada from June 30, 1984 to September 17, 1984. He is the oldest living former Prime Minister.

Related Topics:
The Right Honourable - PC - CC - QC - BA - MA - LL.D. - June 7 - 1929 - Prime Minister of Canada - June 30 - 1984 - September 17

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He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, and emigrated to Canada as a baby in 1932. He was educated at the University of British Columbia (B.A. Honours), Oxford University, (Rhodes Scholar, B.A., Bachelor of Civil Law), and the University of Paris (the Sorbonne).

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Richmond - Surrey - England - Canada - 1932 - University of British Columbia - Oxford University - Rhodes Scholar - Sorbonne

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He was married in 1963 to Geills McCrae Kilgour (b. 1937) and has one daughter and three sons. He practised law in Toronto, Ontario, and was elected as a member of Parliament in 1962. He served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Lester Pearson in various capacities, most notably as Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. When Pearson retired, Turner ran to succeed him, finishing third at the 1968 leadership convention behind the winner Pierre Trudeau. Turner served in Trudeau's cabinet as Minister of Justice during the October Crisis, and then as Minister of Finance until 1975 when he resigned to protest the implementation of wage and price controls.

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1963 - Geills McCrae Kilgour - Toronto - Ontario - Parliament - 1962 - Cabinet - Lester Pearson - 1968 leadership convention - Pierre Trudeau - Minister of Justice - October Crisis - Minister of Finance

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From 1975 to 1984, Turner worked as a corporate lawyer on Bay Street, but occasionally made speeches on political issues. When Pierre Trudeau resigned as Liberal leader in 1979, Turner announced that he would not be a candidate for the Liberal leadership. Trudeau was talked into rescinding his resignation after the government of Joe Clark was defeated by a Motion of No Confidence, and returned to serve as Prime Minister until 1984.

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Bay Street - Joe Clark - Motion of No Confidence

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When Prime Minister Trudeau retired, John Turner re-entered politics and was elected leader of his party and became prime minister, defeating Jean Chrétien at the June 1984 Liberal leadership convention. Turner served as Prime Minister of Canada for only a few months. Plagued by controversy over a series of patronage appointments he made shortly after taking office in fulfilment of an agreement he had made with Trudeau, he was defeated by Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservative Party in the 1984 federal election. The Liberal campaign was damaged by Turner's poor debate performances, voter fatigue of the Liberal government, and charges that Turner appeared "serially insincere" during press scrums and public speeches. His period in office was thus almost entirely consumed by the election, and Turner's government did not have time to implement any serious legislative initiatives.

Related Topics:
Jean Chrétien - Liberal leadership convention - Prime Minister of Canada - Patronage - Brian Mulroney - Progressive Conservative Party - 1984 federal election

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He remained leader of the opposition, and lost to Mulroney again in the election of 1988. In that election, Turner campaigned vigorously against the (then) proposed Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, arguing that its adoption would equate the entire abandonment of Canada's political sovereignty to the United States.

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Leader of the opposition - Election of 1988 - Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

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Jean Chrétien resigned from Parliament in 1985, but led a long and bitter backroom struggle to depose Turner. This succeeded in 1990 when Turner resigned as party leader. The ongoing and often open unpopularity of Turner within his own party led to many editorial cartoonists to always draw him with a back stabbed full of knives.

Related Topics:
Jean Chrétien - Editorial cartoonist

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