Joe Clark

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The Right Honourable Joe Clark PC CC AOE
Clark in 1979
16th Prime Minister of Canada
In office June 4, 1979 – March 3, 1980
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Edward Schreyer
Preceded by	Pierre Trudeau
Succeeded by	Pierre Trudeau
Leader of the Opposition
In office March 4, 1980 – February 19, 1983
Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Pierre Trudeau
Succeeded by	Erik Nielsen
In office February 22, 1976 – June 3, 1979
Prime Minister	Pierre Trudeau
Preceded by	Robert Stanfield
Succeeded by	Pierre Trudeau
Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
In office November 14, 1998 – May 31, 2003
Preceded by	Elsie Wayne (interim)
Succeeded by	Peter MacKay
In office February 22, 1976 – February 19, 1983
Preceded by	Robert Stanfield
Succeeded by	Erik Nielsen (interim)
President of the Privy Council
In office April 21, 1991 – June 24, 1993
Prime Minister	Brian Mulroney
Preceded by	Don Mazankowski
Succeeded by	Pierre Blais
Minister of Justice Attorney General of Canada
Acting December 8, 1988 – January 29, 1989
Prime Minister	Brian Mulroney
Preceded by	Ray Hnatyshyn
Succeeded by	Doug Lewis
Secretary of State for External Affairs
In office September 17, 1984 – April 20, 1991
Prime Minister	Brian Mulroney
Preceded by	Jean Chrétien
Succeeded by	Barbara McDougall
House of Commons constituencies Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre In office November 27, 2000 – June 28, 2004 Preceded by Eric Lowther Succeeded by Lee Richardson Member of Parliament for Kings—Hants In office September 11, 2000 – November 27, 2000 Preceded by Scott Brison Succeeded by Scott Brison Member of Parliament for Yellowhead (Rocky Mountain; 1972–1979) In office October 30, 1972 – October 25, 1993 Preceded by Allen Sulatycky Succeeded by Cliff Breitkreuz
Personal details
Born	Charles Joseph Clark (1939-06-05) June 5, 1939 (age 85) High River, Alberta, Canada
Political party	Independent (since 2003)
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative (before 2003)
Spouse	Maureen McTeer ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	Catherine Clark
Alma mater	University of Alberta (BA, MA)
Occupation	Politician journalist businessman professor
Signature

Charles Joseph Clark PC CC AOE (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian businessman, writer, and retired politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980. He also served as leader of the Official Opposition from 1976 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1983.

Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal politics. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1972 and won the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1976. He led the party to a minority government in the 1979 federal election, defeating the Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau and ending 16 years of continuous Liberal rule. Taking office the day before his 40th birthday, Clark became the youngest prime minister in Canadian history.

As prime minister, Clark introduced the Freedom of Information Act and oversaw the "Canadian Caper" rescue in response to the Iran hostage crisis; however, his tenure was brief as the minority government was brought down by a non-confidence vote on his first budget in December 1979. The budget defeat triggered the 1980 election. Clark and the Progressive Conservatives lost the election to Trudeau and the Liberals, who won a majority government and returned to power. As of 2025, he remains the most recent prime minister to have lost power following the defeat of his budget.

Clark lost the leadership of the party to Brian Mulroney in 1983. He returned to prominence in Mulroney's cabinet as Secretary of State for External Affairs from 1984 to 1991 and then as President of the Privy Council and Minister responsible for Constitutional Affairs from 1991 to 1993. Clark did not stand for re-election in 1993, and from 1993 to 1996 he served as Special Representative to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Cyprus. He made a political comeback in 1998 to lead the Progressive Conservatives in their last general election before the party's eventual dissolution, serving his final term in Parliament from 2000 to 2004.

After the Progressive Conservatives merged with the more right-wing Canadian Alliance to form the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada in 2003, Clark instead sat as an independent Progressive Conservative. He criticized the merger as what he described as an "Alliance take-over", believing that the new party was drifting towards social conservatism. Clark today serves as a university professor and as president of his own consulting firm.