FOG BLOG CANADIAN POLITICS LOG: FORMER CABINET MINISTER OF JEAN CHRETIEN BILL GRAHAM DIES AT 83!

Bill Graham, former Canadian defence and foreign minister, dead at 83

News of the former interim Liberal leader’s death was shared by multiple senior Liberals, cabinet ministers, current and former Canadian politicians as well as members of the defence and security community on social media on Monday afternoon.

Former Liberal MP John English told The Canadian Press that Graham died Sunday, according to a member of his family who shared the news with him earlier today. Former prime minister Jean Chretien named Graham to the role of foreign affairs minister in January 2002, a time that saw Graham and the Canadian government quickly embroiled in the world-changing aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

During his tenure, Graham led the government through pivotal decisions including not joining the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq following that attack, and he played a central role in shaping Canada’s response to what become known as the War on Terror.

He was named to the defence post in July 2004 by Paul Martin, the former Liberal prime minister who ousted Chretien as leader of the party. While in the role, Graham backed a proposal that would have seen Canada joining the U.S.’s ballistic missile defence program for the continent, but the measure failed to get political backing in the Canadian minority Parliament of the time.