Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, leader of the Official Opposition and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. //
Ancien ministre des Affaires étrangères, ministre de a Défense nationale, chef de l’opposition officielle et chef intérimaire du Parti libéral du Canada.
First elected as Member of Parliament for Toronto-Centre-Rosedale in 1993, Bill Graham served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 2002 until July 2004 and Minister of National Defence from July 2004 until January 2006. In February 2006, he was appointed leader of the Official Opposition and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, positions he served until December 2006. From 1995 to 2002, Mr. Graham served as chairman of the Standing Committee of the House of Commons on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Active in international parliamentary associations, Mr. Graham was elected founding president of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas. He has served as vice president and treasurer of the Parliamentary Association of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and as treasurer of Liberal International. In 2014, he was appointed Member of the Order of Canada. In 2020, he was promoted to an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Prior to his election to parliament, Mr. Graham practiced law at Fasken & Calvin, specializing in civil litigation and international business transactions, and served on the board of directors of various public and private Canadian corporations.
Subsequently, he taught international trade law, public international law, and the law of the European Community at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.
A past president of the Alliance française de Toronto, Mr. Graham has been recognized for his contributions to French language and culture in Ontario by being appointed a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur and Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Pléiade.