Michael Fortier
A Canadian politician whose unusual path saw him appointed directly to the Senate before a fraught attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons.
Born 1962 (age 64)·Canadian politician·Birthday: January 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Michael Fortier's political career was a brief but notable chapter in Stephen Harper's early government. A Montreal-based lawyer and investment banker with deep Conservative ties, he was a key organizer in Quebec. When Harper won the 2006 election but failed to elect any MPs from Montreal, he turned to Fortier in a controversial move, appointing him to the Senate and immediately naming him to the cabinet as Minister of Public Works. This 'Senator-in-Cabinet' arrangement was criticized as undemocratic, and Fortier pledged to legitimize his position by running for a House of Commons seat. In 2008, he resigned from the Senate to contest the riding of Vaudreuil—Soulanges but lost. His tenure, though short, was defined by this unique constitutional gambit, highlighting the challenges of building national political representation in Canada.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Michael was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Michael Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Michael's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Minister of Public Works and Government Services and later as Minister of International Trade under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
- Was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2006 to provide Montreal representation in the federal Cabinet.
- Co-chaired the Conservative Party's national election campaign in 2006.
Did You Know?
Before politics, he was a partner at the international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright.
He was the first Conservative cabinet minister from Quebec since the 1993 federal election.
After politics, he returned to the finance sector, working as an investment banker at Credit Suisse.
“I was appointed to the Senate to represent Montreal and the interests of Quebec.”
