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The Right Honourable Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (also known as Paul Martin Jr.) (born August 28, 1938 in Windsor, Ontario) is the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, succeeding Jean Chrétien on December 12, 2003. He is leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and was re-elected with a minority government on June 28, 2004, the first in 24 years, with the Liberals obtaining 135 of 308 seats in the Canadian House of CommonsThe House of Commons (in French, la Chambre des communes is the directly elected lower house of the Parliament of Canada which sits in the nation's capital of Ottawa, Ontario. Leadership Prime Minister and Cabinet Under the Westminster system, the prime m.
1 Early life
A businessman and politician, Paul Martin is from a political family. His father, Paul Joseph James MartinPaul Joseph James Martin CC, PC, QC, often known as Paul Martin, Sr. June 23, 1903 September 14, 1992) was a noted Canadian politician. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, to a Franco-Ontarian family, he soon moved to Windsor, Ontario. A member of the Liberal Party (also known as "Paul Martin, Sr."), served 33 years as a member of the Canadian House of Commons and was a cabinet minister in four Liberal governments. Martin Jr. was fortunate in having a bicultural upbringing. His father was a Franco-Ontarian, his mother, Eleanor "Nell" Adams, a Scottish Canadian. He was raised in an English-speaking environment in Windsor and Ottawa. To give him the opportunity to improve his French, his parents enrolled him in a private French-language middle school, Ecole Garneau in Ottawa. He then attended the French-Catholic University of Ottawa secondary school.
Martin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history and philosophy from St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, in 1961. He followed his father's path to the University of Toronto Law School where he received his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1965. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1966.
In 1965, Martin married Sheila Ann Cowan. They have three sons, Paul, Jamie and David. He was employed by the giant Montreal-based conglomerate Power Corporation of Canada, controlled by long-time family friend and one of the wealthiest businessmen in Canada, Paul Desmarais. In 1973 Martin assumed the presidency of Canada Steamship Lines, a subsidiary of Power Corporation. In 1981, Power Corporation sold Canada Steamship Lines Inc. (CSL) to Martin and a partner, Laurence Pathy, for $180 million. In 1988, Martin bought out Laurence Pathy, and took full control of CSL. Concerns have been raised about a potential conflict of interest stemming from Martin's position as Prime Minister and his ownership of CSL. Martin has responded by selling CSL to his sons. However, this action has not entirely quelled the concerns.
