10 Questions for the Right Honourable Paul Martin

(The Right Honourable Paul Martin)

The Right Honourable Paul Martin was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada from 2003 to 2006, Minister of Finance from 1993 to 2002 and he served as the Member of Parliament for LaSalle-Émard in Montreal, QC from 1988 to 2008. He graduated in honours philosophy and history from St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Domestically, Martin founded the Martin Family Initiative (MFI) focusing on elementary and secondary education opportunities for Aboriginal students and the Capital for Aboriginal Prosperity and Entrepreneurship (CAPE) Fund, an investment fund developing business expertise and mentoring for Indigenous business. In December 2011, he was appointed as a Companion to the Order of Canada. He married Sheila Ann Cowan in 1965 and they have three sons: Paul, Jamie and David, and five grandchildren.

1. In one sentence, describe why career development matters.

Career development matters because it is integral to achieving a fulfilling future for each of us. Furthermore, the future of a country depends on the way in which its younger citizens approach the years and decades that lie ahead.

2. Which book are you reading right now?

I’m currently reading The Orenda by Joseph Boyden.

3. What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to work in Africa on economic development.

4. Name one thing you wouldn’t be able to work without?

The support of Therese Horvath, who has been my assistant since 1988.

5. What activity do you usually turn to when procrastinating?

Exercise. It also helps keep my back healthy.

6. What song do you listen to for inspiration?

Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” … sung by the composer or kd lang, a Canadian singer and songwriter.

7. Which word do you overuse?

“Essentially” or “basic.”

8. Who would you have liked to work with most?

Nelson Mandela.

9. Which talent or superpower would you like to have?

The ability to foresee the future.

10. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

The Kelowna Accord. Although it was rejected by the government that followed mine, it nonetheless established the only process that can work because it sustains the partnership that is so essential between government and the Indigenous people of this land.

(Photo courtesy of Paul Martin)