Honourable John Manley, P.C., O.C., F.ICD
Chair, CIBC Bank USA and CAE; Chair, Governance Committee, Telus
Mr. Manley joined Bennett Jones LLP as Senior Business Adviser in September 2019. He is best known as a former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the Canadian Parliament from 1988 to 2004 as M.P. for Ottawa South. From 1993 to 2003, he was a Minister in former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien’s government, serving in the portfolios of Industry, Foreign Affairs and Finance, in addition to being Deputy Prime Minister.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Mr. Manley was named Chair of a Cabinet Committee on Public Security and Anti-terrorism, serving as the counterpart to Governor Tom Ridge, the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. In recognition of the role he played following 9/11, TIME Canada named him "2001 Newsmaker of the Year.
After a 16-year career in politics, Mr. Manley returned to the private sector in 2004 where he has continued to be active in public policy as a media commentator, speaker and adviser to governments of differing political stripes. He is Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute, a founding member of the Wilson Center Global Advisory Council, a member of the Brookings International Advisory Council and Chair of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) Advisory Council.
In the private sector, Mr. Manley has practiced law, and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada (from 2010 to 2018). He has been a very active corporate director, and currently serves as Chair of the Boards of Directors of CIBC Bank USA and CAE, and is a Board Director of TELUS. He is the immediate past chair of CIBC.
An Officer of the Order of Canada, Mr. Manley graduated from Carleton University in mathematics and political science, and in law from the University of Ottawa where he was the gold medalist and subsequently served as law clerk to the Chief Justice of Canada, Bora Laskin. He is the recipient of many awards and honours, including honorary doctorates from six Canadian Universities. He is also an honorary Chief of the Blood Nation of Alberta.