Edgar Benson

Edgar John Benson PC FCA (May 28, 1923 – September 2, 2011^[1]) was a Canadian politician, businessman, diplomat, and university professor. He held three different Cabinet posts. He was married to an Ottawa lawyer, Mary Jane Binks.

Benson was a chartered accountant by profession, and co-owner of a local radio station. Prior to his entry into politics, and while practising his CA profession, he was a lecturer in Business Administration at Queen's University, his alma mater, in the capacity of Assistant Professor of Commerce.^[2]

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.

He was an early supporter of Pierre Trudeau in the 1968 Liberal leadership campaign to replace the retiring Pearson, and advised Trudeau. 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. He served as Canadian Ambassador to Ireland from 1982 to 1985.^[3]

Benson held honourary degrees from the Royal Military College of Canada and Queens University.

References

External links

• Edgar Benson - Parliament of Canada biography
• Unflappable finance minister rewrote Canada's tax rules Toronto Globe and Mail Obituary