Minister of Finance
Which position did Joe Oliver (politician) hold from Mar 2014 to Oct 2015?
Joe Oliver ( politician ) Joseph Oliver , ( born May 20 , 1940 ) is a Canadian politician who served as Minister of Finance from 2014 to 2015 . He was elected to the House of Commons in the 2011 federal election and represented the electoral district of Eglinton—Lawrence as a member of the Conservative Party until his defeat in the 2015 election . In 2017 Oliver was named non-executive Chairman of the Board of Echelon Wealth Partners , an independent , Canadian-owned and operated wealth management and capital markets firm . In March 2019 he was appointed to the board of directors of the Independent Electricity System Operator ( IESO ) . Early life and career . Oliver was born and raised in Montreal , Quebec , to a Jewish family . His father was a dentist and his mother was a teacher . He grew up attending Congregation Shaar Hashomayim . He is married to Golda Goldman and has two sons , David and Jeffrey . Oliver received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961 and a Bachelor of Civil Law degree in 1964 from McGill University . He received an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1970 . Following his studies he became an investment banker with Merrill Lynch and then Nesbitt Thomson . He became executive director of the Ontario Securities Commission and was also named the CEO of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada . Political career . 2008 and 2011 Elections . Oliver ran in the Toronto riding of Eglinton—Lawrence in the 2008 election , but lost to the longtime Liberal incumbent , Joe Volpe . In the 2011 election , he defeated Volpe to win the seat . Minister of Natural Resources . On May 18 , 2011 , Oliver was sworn in as the Minister of Natural Resources . In June 2011 , Oliver repeated Harpers campaign promise to support Quebecs asbestos industry , by claiming that chrysotile asbestos , a carcinogen , could be used in a safe and controlled manner . As Natural Resources Minister , Oliver also oversaw SNC-Lavalins purchase of Atomic Energy of Canada . Oliver has also defended pipeline projects for Canadas oil sands such as Keystone XL and the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines . In a January 2012 open letter defending Keystone XL Oliver called Canadians who opposed the project radicals who use funding from foreign special interest groups to undermine Canada’s national economic interest . During his time as natural resources minister , the ministrys advertising budget grew from $237,000 in 2010–11 to $40 million in 2012–13 . Also under Oliver , the regulatory checks on the energy industrys super-projects such as Keystone were streamlined . Minister of Finance . On March 19 , 2014 , Oliver was appointed to replace Jim Flaherty as Minister of Finance . In January 2015 , Oliver announced that the budget would not be tabled until April , instead of the usual February to March , because of economic uncertainty caused by the rapid drop in oil prices . On April 21 , 2015 , Oliver presented the federal budget , which projected a $1.4 billion surplus by taking $2 billion from the countrys contingency fund . 2015 Election . During the 2015 Canadian federal election , Canada was officially declared to be in a recession and fellow cabinet minister Jason Kenney , who unlike Oliver , was running in a safe riding , was the primary Conservative spokesperson on the economy . Meanwhile , Oliver kept a low profile : he cancelled two speaking events at mens only clubs in Toronto , discreetly attended a G20 conference in Turkey , and focused on winning his riding . Oliver lost the seat to Liberal challenger Marco Mendicino . Attempted political comeback . Oliver announced in October 2016 that he was seeking the nomination of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in York Centre for the 2018 provincial election . On January 15 , 2017 , Oliver lost the nomination to 36 year-old lawyer Roman Baber by a margin of 711 to 465 votes . Electoral record . Source : Elections Canada Boards of directors . Oliver is on the board of directors of the High Arctic Energy Services , Independent Electricity System Operator ( IESO ) and the Manning Centre .