John Turner

John Turner was the 17th Prime Minister of Canada, a Liberal governing from June 30 to September 17, 1984. Despite his short tenure, Sir Charles Tupper was Prime Minister for a shorter time, only 69 days between May 2 and July 8, 1896.

Turner was born in England, and moved to Canada in 1932. Although Turner was involved in government and politics under Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, he would retire after conflicts with the latter. In 1984, Trudeau retired and Turner stepped in the role of Prime Minister after winning the Liberal Party leadership. In part, Trudeau was stepping down because he understood the Liberals could not win against Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives.

The people of Canada were unhappy with Trudeau's failed economic policies and massive patronage appointments at the end of his term. Turner attempted to distance himself by moving the party to a more balanced economy, but would ultimately lose the election. He would remain the leader of the opposition in Canada throughout the 1980s, but he was driven from party leadership by a manipulative move by Jean Chrétien undermining Turner's credibility.