Canada’s Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism, The Honourable Jason Kenney, discusses Canadians, the Armed Forces, and security challenges.
Jason Kenney was born in Ontario and raised in Saskatchewan, where he graduated from Notre Dame College. He did undergraduate studies in philosophy at the University of San Francisco.
Mr. Kenney served as President of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation prior to his election to the House of Commons in 1997 as Member of Parliament for Calgary Southeast. He has been re-elected five times, most recently with 76% of the vote.
He is a former Chairman of the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights, and served in several positions in Opposition, including as Finance Critic and Deputy House Leader.
Mr. Kenney became Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2006, and Secretary of State for Multiculturalism in 2007.
As Canada’s longest-serving Minister of Citizenship and Immigration from 2008 to 2013, Mr. Kenney implemented comprehensive reforms to Canada’s immigration, refugee and citizenship programs, leading the National Post to call him “perhaps Canada’s best immigration minister ever.”
From 2013 to 2015 he served as Minister of Employment and Social Development where he led wide-ranging reforms to Canada’s job training programs, to help better prepare Canadians for the labour market.
In February 2015, he was appointed Minister of National Defence, serving the men and women of Canada’s Armed Forces.
Mr. Kenney chairs the Cabinet Committee on Operations, is the Regional Minister for Southern Alberta, and sits on the Cabinet Committee for Planning and Priorities.
He has been voted the “best overall” and “hardest working” MP by his colleagues in Maclean’s Magazine’s annual survey of parliamentarians.
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Canadian Club – Curse of Politics