John Paul Manley (born January 5, 1950) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the eighth deputy prime minister of Canada from 2002 to 2003. He was Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa South from 1988 to 2004.
As foreign minister during the September 11 attacks, Manley worked to address U.S. security while maintaining economic ties between the U.S. and Canada.
He chaired a special cabinet committee on security, and he was responsible for the Smart Border Declaration.
For this work, Manley was named Canada's Newsmaker of the Year by Time magazine in 2001.
Although a prominent Liberal, Manley was appointed by Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper in 2007 to head an independent, non-partisan panel reviewing Canada's mission and future role in Afghanistan.
Most of the recommendations of the Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan (the "Manley report") were accepted, including an extension of the mission beyond February 2009 while calling for more soldiers and equipment.
From January 2010 to October 2018 Manley was president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada.
He has held directorships of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), CAE Inc., Telus Communications, and the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Manley served as Chair of Ontario's Royal Commission on Electric Power planning following the northeast blackout of 2003.
He serves on the advisory board of the Leaders' Debates Commission.
Manley was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and attended Bell High School. He received a BA from Carleton University in 1971 and an LL.B. from the University of Ottawa in 1976. He also studied at the University of Lausanne. Manley was called to the Ontario bar in 1978.
After law school Manley clerked under Bora Laskin, the chief justice of Canada. He joined the Ottawa firm Perley, Robertson, Panet, Hill and McDougall, specializing in tax law.
John Manley was first elected as a Member of Parliament in the 1988 election. When the Liberals came to power under Jean Chrétien following the 1993 election he became minister of industry. During his time in industry, Manley was a staunch supporter of Canada-based research and development, and also of increased technology use in public schools.
In particular, he felt that the so-called "wired classroom" would help to equalize the gap between urban and smaller, rural schools. These initiatives were partially aimed at combating the "brain drain", and Manley himself stated that "Canada needs to pursue policies that will make it a magnet for brains, attracting them from elsewhere and retaining the ones we have."
As Industry Minister, in January 2000 Manley proposed a multimillion-dollar rescue package for cash-strapped Canadian National Hockey League teams, but withdrew the proposal within 48 hours following criticism that there were better uses for public funds.
Manley was appointed minister of foreign affairs in 2000. He was responsible for the establishment of the Smart Border Declaration, a proactive strategy to address Canada-U.S. security issues following the September 11 attacks in 2001.
Manley's approach addressed American security concerns without severing economic ties, which not only averted economic disaster for Canada, but also helped the U.S. since closure of the border would have magnified the negative impact of the 9/11 attacks.
In October 2001, Manley was named chairman of a special cabinet committee on security that revamped immigration rules, antiterrorism laws, regulations on arrest and detention, and border procedures. Manley's assertive responses helped to keep the "hugely complex relationship with the U.S. on an even keel" as Washington dealt with terrorist threats.