Edgar Benson

Benson served as President of the Canadian Transport Commission from 1972 to 1982, and as Canadian Ambassador to Ireland from 1982 to 1985. He died on September 2, 2011 at the age of 88.

The proposals were subjected to intensive debate that lasted more than a year. Those concerning the capital gains tax were severely criticized by the business community, particularly Israel Asper, who condemned the measure. The reforms were only passed after significant amendment, and even then only through the use of closure. They came into effect on January 1, 1972, as prescribed by the 1971 Canadian federal budget

He later served as Minister of National Defence from January to August 1972, when he retired from politics, choosing not to run in the 1972 election.

Benson’s balanced budget for 1969-70 would be the last until Paul Martin’s budget of 1997-98. Later in 1969, he introduced his white paper on Canadian tax reform, which paved the way for:

He was an early supporter of Pierre Trudeau in the 1968 Liberal leadership campaign to replace the retiring Pearson, and, together with Jean Marchand, was co-chairman of Trudeau’s leadership bid. He was later appointed Minister of Finance, serving from 1968 to 1972.

Benson wore a pair of new shoes on budget day in 1968, although he said, “He didn’t buy them just for the budget.” The following year he did not wear new shoes when delivering the budget, saying jokingly that he couldn’t afford them, and in 1970 proudly displayed his worn soles on budget day.

He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1962 general election as the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston, Ontario. Initially appointed in 1962 as Parliamentary Secretary to then Minister of Finance Walter Gordon, he entered the Cabinet of Prime Minister Lester Pearson in 1964 as Minister of National Revenue, and served concurrently from 1966 to 1968 as the first President of the Treasury Board.

Edgar John “Ben” Benson PC, FCA, BComm (May 28, 1923 – September 2, 2011) was a Canadian politician, businessman, diplomat, and university professor. He held four cabinet posts, most notably that of Minister of Finance under Pierre Trudeau, where he was instrumental in reforming Canada’s income tax law. He was described as “Pierre Trudeau’s unflappable finance minister, the pipe-smoking financial wizard who raised the ire of corporate Canada in the 1970s by bringing in a capital gains tax.”