December 16, 2004
Ottawa, Ontario
NEWS RELEASE
Prime Minister Paul Martin today named Canada's seventeenth Prime Minister, the Right Honourable John N. Turner, as Head of Canada's observation mission for the second presidential runoff elections in Ukraine scheduled for December 26, 2004.
"A former Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, Minister of Justice and parliamentarian of almost 25 years, John Turner's deep commitment to the democratic process and his knowledge of the political process will lend important expertise to our country's largest-ever contingent of independent electoral observers," said the Prime Minister.
Canada announced on December 6 that it would provide up to 500 election observers to support the second presidential runoff elections in Ukraine. Funding is being provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for the Canadian observer delegation. Canada's offer was made following the December 3 ruling issued by Ukraine's Supreme Court that invalidated the results of the November 21 runoff
vote. Canada continues to impress upon Ukrainian authorities the importance of ensuring that the upcoming vote is carried out in a free and fair manner, in keeping with international standards.
The observation mission is a Canada Corps initiative. Canada Corps harnesses the energy and experience of Canadian experts, volunteers and young professionals to deliver international assistance in the areas of governance and institution building. Canada Corps consolidates and increases the co-ordination of existing Canadian efforts and explores new partnerships with other levels of government and the private sector. Astronaut Julie Payette and Gordon Smith, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria, are its co-chairpersons.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
The Rt. Hon. John N. Turner, P.C., C.C., Q.C.
Called to the Bars of Gray's Inn, London, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, Mr. Turner is a Partner in the Toronto law office of Miller Thomson. His areas of practice include business law and related litigation and tax matters.
Mr. Turner is a director or member of the advisory board of several Canadian
companies and is an authority on pension and corporate governance and liability.
He served in the House of Commons for almost 25 years and is the only person in Canadian history to represent three different provinces in the House of Commons - Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
During his tenure in Parliament, Mr. Tuner served in a number of portfolios including: Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister of Finance, Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
Mr. Turner was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1995.
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