Edgar Benson
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| In office | |
|---|---|
| 1962 election – 1972 election | |
| Riding | Kingston (1962-1968); Kingston and the Islands (1968-1972) |
| Preceded by | Ben Allmark |
| Succeeded by | Flora MacDonald |
| Born | May 28, 1923 Cobourg |
| Political party | |
| Profession(s) | Chartered Accountant |
Edgar John Benson, PC, FCA , B.Comm (born May 28, 1923) is a retired Canadian politician and businessman.
Benson was a chartered accountant by profession, and co-owner of a local radio station. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1962 general election as the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston, Ontario. He entered the Cabinet of Prime Minister Lester Pearson in 1964 as Minister of National Revenue, and served concurrently, from 1966 to 1968, as President of the Treasury Board.
Benson was Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau from 1968 to 1972. He was the last finance minister in over twenty years to introduce a balanced budget. His 1969 budget introduced a capital gains tax that was severely criticized by the business community, particularly Israel Asper who wrote a book called The Benson Iceberg condemning the measure. In his final budget he introduced a tax deduction for child care as a means of helping mothers enter the workforce.
He served as Minister of National Defence from January to August 1972, when he retired from politics, choosing not to run in the 1972 election.
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| Preceded by Mitchell Sharp |
Minister of Finance 20 April 1968 – 27 January 1972 |
Succeeded by John Napier Turner |
| Ministers of Finance of Canada |  |
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|---|---|---|
| Galt | Rose | Hincks | Tilley | Cartwright | Tilley | McLelan | Tupper | Foster | Fielding | White | Drayton | Fielding | Robb | Bennett | Robb | Dunning | Bennett | Rhodes | Dunning | Ralston | Ilsley | Abbott | Harris | Fleming | Nowlan | Gordon | Sharp | Benson | Turner | Macdonald | Chrétien | Crosbie | MacEachen | Lalonde | Wilson | Mazankowski | Loiselle | Martin | Manley | Goodale | Flaherty | ||
