The Economics Students’ Association is proud to announce that we will be hosting former Prime Minister Paul Martin this Wednesday, November 26th, 2008. The event will be held at Alumni Hall, and doors open for general admittance at 2:30 pm. Admission will be free to all members of the UWO and London community

Paul Martin became minister of finance in 1993, inheriting the highest annual deficit of the G7 countries. During his tenure, Mr Martin erased a $42 billion deficit, recorded five consecutive budget surpluses, and paid down $36 billion of national debt. Moreover, Mr Martin successfully lowered Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio from a peak of 70% to 50% in only a few years. During this time, Mr Martin received truly unprecedented acclaim from the international community. In 2003, Paul Martin was elected the 21st Prime Minister of Canada. During this time, the Liberal government passed legislation making Canada the first G7 nation to recognize same-sex marriage, created a $41 billion dollar program to improve health care and reduce wait times, and fought to create firmer aid obligations to the African continent.

Mr Martin will be speaking about his life in politics, Canada’s role in global credit crisis, and the need for greater international co-operation during financial crises. A question and answer period will follow.