Edgar Benson

The Honourable Edgar Benson PC FCA
Benson, c. 1968
Minister of National Defence
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Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Donald Macdonald
Succeeded by	Jean-Eudes Dubé (acting)
Minister of Finance
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Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Mitchell Sharp
Succeeded by	John Turner
President of the Treasury Board
In office Template:En dash range
Prime Minister	Lester B. Pearson Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Charles Drury
Minister of National Revenue
In office Template:En dash range
Prime Minister	Lester B. Pearson
Preceded by	George McIlraith (acting)
Succeeded by	Jean Chrétien
Member of Parliament for Kingston (1962–1968); Kingston and the Islands (1968–1972)
In office Template:En dash range
Preceded by	Benjamin Graydon Allmark
Succeeded by	Flora MacDonald
Personal details
Born	Edgar John Benson Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Died	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Resting place	Beechwood Cemetery
Party	Liberal
Spouse	Marie Louise van Laer (1946–1974) Mary Jane Binks (1987–2011)
Alma mater	Queen's University
Profession	Chartered Accountant
Military service
Branch/service	Canadian Army
Years of service	1941–1946
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	1st Survey Regiment, RCA I Canadian Corps

Edgar John "Ben" Benson PC FCA (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."

Early years

After serving overseas in the Second World War as a sergeant in the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, Benson attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree. He became a chartered accountant and partner in the accounting firm of England, Leonard, Macpherson and Company, and co-owner of CKLC. Prior to his entry into politics, he also taught Business Administration at Queen's, in the capacity of Assistant Professor of Commerce.

Political life

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.

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.

Tax reform (1971)

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:

• a capital gains tax
• a tax deduction for child care as a means of helping mothers enter the workforce
• greater use of Registered Retirement Savings Plans

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.

Marc Lalonde, a colleague and future Finance Minister, later said, "He was in finance at a critical time, he revolutionized the system. He launched a revolution. It was a revolution, a necessary step and a demanding task. What he did was economically justified. The basic tax structure that he put in place is still alive. No one has really touched it since."

Impact

He was also instrumental in rolling out a national medical care plan and supplementary old age pensions and played a key role in federal-provincial relations.

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 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.

Later life and death

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.

Honours

Benson was conferred honorary degrees as a Doctor of Laws from:

• Royal Military College of Canada in 1973
• Queen's University in 2008

Further reading

• Benson, E.J. (1969). Proposals for tax reform (PDF). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada.
• Benson, E.J. (1971). Summary of 1971 Tax Reform Legislation (PDF). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada.

External links

• "Edgar J. Benson fonds". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013.
• Edgar Benson – Parliament of Canada biography
• Alan Hustak (13 September 2011). "Unflappable finance minister rewrote Canada's tax rules". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2011.