John Paul Manley (born January 5, 1950) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the eighth

deputy prime minister of Canada The deputy prime minister of Canada ()When the position is held by a male, the French title is ''vice-premier ministre du Canada"'' is a minister of the Crown and a member of the Cabinet of Canada, Canadian Cabinet. The office is conferred at ...

from 2002 to 2003. He was Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa South from 1988 to

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. As Foreign Minister during the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, Manley acted swiftly and proactively to address U.S. security while maintaining economic ties between the U.S. and Canada. He chaired a special cabinet committee on security, and he was responsible for the '' Smart Border Declaration''. For this work, Manley was named '' Canada's Newsmaker of the Year'' by ''

Time magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

'' in 2001. Although a prominent Liberal, Manley was appointed by

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

in 2007 to head an independent, non-partisan panel reviewing Canada's mission and future role in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. Most of the recommendations of the ''Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan'' (the " Manley report") were accepted, including an extension of the mission beyond February 2009 while calling for more soldiers and equipment. From January 2010 to October 2018 Manley was

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and CEO of the Business Council of Canada. He has held directorships of the

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; ) is a Canadian Multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District, Toronto, Financial District of Toronto, Ont ...

(CIBC), CAE Inc.,

Telus Communications Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, v ...

, and the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

. Manley served as Chair of Ontario's Royal Commission on Electric Power planning following the northeast blackout of 2003. He serves on the advisory board of the

Leaders' Debates Commission The Leaders' Debates Commission is the independent Canadian government agency which is charged with organizing leaders' debates during federal elections in Canada. In 2018, the commission was established to organize two debates, one in English ...

Early life and education

Manley was born in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Ontario, and attended Bell High School. He received a BA from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

in 1971 and an LL.B. from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

in 1976. He also studied at the

University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne (UNIL; ) in Lausanne, Switzerland, was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second-oldest in Switzerland, and one of the oldest universities ...

. Manley was called to the Ontario bar in 1978. After law school Manley clerked under

Bora Laskin Bora Laskin (October 5, 1912 – March 26, 1984) was a Canadians, Canadian jurist who served as the 14th Chief Justice of Canada, chief justice of Canada from 1973 to 1984 and as a List of justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, puisne just ...

, the

Chief Justice of Canada The chief justice of Canada () is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court system. The '' Supreme Court Ac ...

. He joined the Ottawa firm Perley, Robertson, Panet, Hill and McDougall, specializing in tax law.

Cabinet career

John Manley was first elected as a Member of Parliament in the 1988 election. When the Liberals came to power under

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

following the 1993 election he became Minister of Industry. During his time in Industry, Manley was a staunch supporter of Canada-based research and development, and also of increased technology use in public schools. In particular, he felt that the so-called "wired classroom" would help to equalize the gap between urban and smaller, rural schools. These initiatives were partially aimed at combating the " brain drain", and Manley himself stated that "Canada needs to pursue policies that will make it a magnet for brains, attracting them from elsewhere and retaining the ones we have." As Industry Minister, in January 2000 Manley proposed a multimillion dollar rescue package for cash-strapped Canadian

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

teams, but withdrew the proposal within 48 hours following criticism that there were better uses for public funds.The Canadian Encyclopedia
Manley was appointed

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

in 2000. He was responsible for the establishment of the '' Smart Border Declaration'', a proactive strategy to address Canada-U.S. security issues following the

in 2001. Manley's approach addressed American security concerns without severing economic ties, which not only averted economic disaster for Canada, but also helped the U.S. since closure of the border would have magnified the negative impact of the

9/11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. In October 2001, Manley was named chairman of a special cabinet committee on security that revamped immigration rules, antiterrorism laws, regulations on arrest and detention, and border procedures. Manley's assertive responses helped to keep the "hugely complex relationship with the U.S. on an even keel" as Washington dealt with terrorist threats. Manley had good working relationships with U.S. Secretary of State

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...

and U.S. Homeland Security chief

Tom Ridge Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served in the Presidency of George W. Bush, George W. Bush administration as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003 and as the U ...

, and the director of Toronto's ''Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies'' said "Under Manley, the government of Canada talks to Washington, not at it." For his work to swiftly and dramatically "orchestrate a transformative moment in Canada's history", Manley was named '' Canada's Newsmaker of the Year'' by ''

'' in 2001. In January 2002 Manley was appointed

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

and given special responsibility for security in response to

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. In May 2002, Chrétien appointed Manley as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

, following the departure of

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. Th ...

. Manley's 2003 federal budget laid out billions of dollars in new spending, primarily for health-care, child-care, and

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

. It also introduced new accountability features to help limit federal waste.

Liberal leadership

2003 Liberal leadership election

When Jean Chrétien announced his decision to retire, Manley was seen by many as the prime minister's logical successor given his roles as deputy prime minister and as chair of the important economic and social policy cabinet committees. However, Manley withdrew from the leadership race and endorsed

in July 2003 when it became clear that Martin had an overwhelming lead. Martin offered Manley a role as

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

to the United States, which Manley declined for personal and family reasons. Later in 2003, Manley announced his retirement from politics.

2006 and 2009 Liberal leadership elections

On January 25, 2006 Manley sent a letter to supporters indicating that he was not going to contest the Liberal leadership after the resignation of

. Martin had resigned after the January 23, 2006 election resulted in a Conservative Party minority in parliament. Manley was mentioned again as a possible contender for the leadership of the Liberal Party after Stéphane Dion's resignation following the October 14, 2008 election that resulted in a larger minority Conservative government. On November 4, 2008 Manley announced that he would not be a candidate.

Membership on commissions and inquiries

Report on Canada's Mission in Afghanistan

On 12 October 2007, Manley was appointed by Conservative Prime Minister

to head an independent, non-partisan panel reviewing Canada's mission and future role in

, a position he had discussed with Liberal leader Stéphane Dion beforehand. Both Dion and Liberal Foreign Affairs critic

Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...

had encouraging words for the panel. Manley's appointment was described as a "masterstroke" in a ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' editorial, given Manley's evident qualifications as a former foreign minister and former chairman of a cabinet committee on public security and anti-terrorism established after

. Also, by appointing a prominent Liberal, bipartisan support could be built for what was originally a Liberal-mandated mission. The ''Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan'' reported on January 28, 2008, in what became known as the Manley report. It argued for an indefinite extension of the mission beyond February 2009, but also pointed to logistical and equipment shortfalls, communications challenges with telling the mission's story to Canadians, and a coming manpower strength shortage. The report's recommendations were accepted by the House when the Liberals backed them along with the Conservatives.

Other public service advisory roles

Manley served as Chair of Ontario's Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning in the wake of the eastern North American blackout of 2003. Manley was co-chair of the ''Independent Task Force on the Future of North America'', a project of the U.S.-based

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

. In 2005, the Task Force released a report that advocated a North American "economic and security community" by 2010, the boundaries of which would be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter. The three-country economic area would resemble the

European Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

, a predecessor of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. Manley has served as Chair of the Advisory Council of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, a Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute, and as Chair of the Canadian branch of the

Trilateral Commission The Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental international organization aimed at fostering closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. It was founded in July 1973, principally by American banker and philanthropist David ...

. He is a member of the International Advisory Council of the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

and the Global Advisory Council of the Wilson Center. Manley is a member of the advisory board of the

. He has served on the boards of the not-for-profits CARE Canada,

MaRS Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) () is a Arts centre, performing arts organization in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one ...

Foundation, the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

, the

Conference Board of Canada The Conference Board of Canada is an independent, non-profit applied-research organization based in Canada. It aims to help Canada's leaders make informed, evidence-based decisions using non-partisan and non-ideological analysis. The organiza ...

, and the Institute for Research on Public Policy.

Private sector positions

On May 18, 2004, Manley joined the law firm

McCarthy Tétrault McCarthy Tétrault LLP is a Canadian law firm specializing in business law, litigation services, tax law, real property law, labour and employment law, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, London (UK), as well ...

as counsel, working in their

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

offices. In September 2019, he joined law firm Bennett Jones as a Senior Business Advisor as part of the Governmental Affairs & Public Policy group. From 2010 to 2018, Manley was President and CEO of the not-for-profit Business Council of Canada. John Manley has served as Chair of the Boards of Directors of

Nortel Nortel Networks Corporation (Nortel), formerly Northern Telecom Limited, was a Canadian Multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. It was founded in ...

CIBC The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; ) is a Canadian Multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District, Toronto, Financial District of Toronto, Ont ...

, CAE Inc. and

, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the

Political ideology

Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it fall ...

'' political columnist Lawrence Martin said Manley is "a broad-perspective pragmatist, who, while spending a lot of time with the Bay Street boys (you do that as an industry minister), has never been captive to them." In an interview for the British think-tank The Bruges Group, Manley said of then-Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

's economic spending priorities: "I see commitments on spending programmes that will not necessarily add to Canada's productivity or support economic growth – so I'm one that's a bit worried about the trajectory that we are on". Manley is an advocate for the abolition of the Canadian monarchy. This point of view created quite a controversy when, in response to a reporter's question, he stated "I don't think it's necessary for Canada to continue with the monarchy" during a 2002 tour of Canada by the Queen. Manley served as the Queen's official government escort when her 12-day tour concluded in the national capital region.

Honours and awards

John Manley is an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. Manley holds Honorary Doctorates from the

, the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, Western University, the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

and

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

Personal life

John Manley is married to Judith Manley with whom he has three children. Manley is an avid

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

runner. https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/brad-rickerby/canadian-foreign-minister-manley-runs-in-new-york-city-race-2001-11-03-photo/photograph/asset/8042195%7D

Electoral record

, - style="background:white;" , style="text-align:right;" colspan="3", Difference , align="right", 23,203 , align="right", 43.2 , align="right", −8.7 , - style="background:white;" , style="text-align:right;" colspan="3", Difference , align="right", 13,908 , align="right", 26.9 , align="right", −16.3 , - style="background:white;" , style="text-align:right;" colspan="3", Rejected Ballots , align="right", 231 , align="right", 0.4 , align="right", −0.3 , - style="background:white;" , style="text-align:right;" colspan="3", Turnout , align="right", 52,021 , align="right", 62.0 , align="right", −10.3 , - style="background:white;"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manley, John 1950 births Businesspeople from Ottawa Canadian Anglicans Canadian corporate directors Ministers of finance of Canada Canadian republicans Ministers of foreign affairs of Canada Carleton University alumni Clerks of the Supreme Court of Canada Deputy prime ministers of Canada Directors of Nortel Directors of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Lawyers in Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs Living people Members of the 26th Canadian Ministry Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Officers of the Order of Canada Politicians from Ottawa University of Ottawa alumni University of Ottawa Faculty of Law alumni 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada