Former Canada PM John Turner, who was in office for 11 weeks, dies at 91
- John Turner replaced Pierre Trudeau as Liberal Party leader in 1984
- His tenure was the second-shortest in the country’s history
Former Canadian prime minister John Turner, who was in office for just 11 weeks and led his Liberal Party to a massive electoral defeat in 1984, died on Saturday aged 91.
Turner took over from Pierre Trudeau in late June 1984 at a time of increasing voter fatigue with the Liberals, who had been in power for 20 of the previous 21 years. Before becoming prime minister, he had held the posts of finance and justice minister.
Current Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pierre’s son, offered his condolences and called Turner “a humble man with a strong social conscience”.
“His contributions to Canada will not be forgotten,” Trudeau said in a statement.
In 1984, Turner called an election for September and then presided over what many political observers consider to be one of the worst campaigns in Canadian history, marred by a series of gaffes.
One turning point came during a televised debate when Turner, under fire from Conservative leader Brian Mulroney, said he had no option but to approve a mass of patronage appointments proposed by Trudeau before he left office.
