Martin's father, Paul Joseph Martin, served as a minister in four Liberal governments and was a leading architect of Canada's post-World War II social policy. The younger Martin attended the University of Toronto, graduating from its law school in 1964, and was called to the bar in 1966. He did not practice law, however, and instead joined Canada Steamship Lines, a Montreal firm. He built the domestic-freight carrier into a strong multinational company and in 1981 purchased it.
Though he had been on the fringe of the Liberal Party, Martin in 1988 won election to the House of Commons from a Montreal riding (district). Two years later he made a bold bid for leadership of the party but lost to Jean Chrétien. When the Liberals won the 1993 election, Chrétien appointed Martin minister of finance. Martin was extremely successful in the post, eliminating a large budget deficit, achieving five consecutive budget surpluses, and securing the largest tax cut in Canadian history. He also won respect as an international financier, concentrating on relieving financial crises in the developing world.
Though Martin had emerged as a mainstay of the Chrétien government, he was dropped from the cabinet in 2002 when he refused to abandon leadership ambitions. He built up strong support within the party, however, and won the backing of constituency organizations from coast to coast. In 2003 Chrétien announced his impending retirement, and, at the Liberal Party's November convention, Martin was chosen to succeed him. As prime minister, Martin sought to foster economic growth and introduce progressive social policies. He also wanted Canada to play a larger role in the international community.
In 2004 Martin called early federal elections in an effort to win a public mandate for his premiership. Despite allegations of corruption against the Liberal administration, Martin led the party to a fourth successive election victory. Nevertheless, the party lost nearly a quarter of its seats, and Martin led a minority government.
Martin's administration struggled to maintain power, the struggle made more difficult by a political crisis generated by an ongoing inquiry into a sponsorship scheme in Quebec that allegedly involved the Liberals funneling money to advertising firms associated with the party for little or no work while Martin was finance minister. Despite the investigation, Martin pursued major reforms of the country's health care system and secured passage of legislation that legalized same-sex marriage. In foreign policy, relations with the United States were sometimes tense, particularly over trade issues and U.S. opposition to the Kyōto Protocol, which aimed to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. In November 2005 a report emanating from the investigation into the financial scandal in Quebec was highly critical of the Liberals and former prime minister Chrétien, though Martin himself was personally exonerated. A motion of no confidence against Martin's government passed the House of Commons, forcing a general election. The Liberals were defeated, and Martin resigned as prime minister and as head of the party.
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