Edgar John Benson (born May 28 1923) is a retired Canadian politician and businessman.
A chartered accountant by profession, and co-owner of a local radio station, Benson was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1962 general election as the Liberal MP for Kingston, Ontario. He entered the Cabinet of Lester Pearson in 1964 as Minister of National Revenue and also served concurrently, from 1966 to 1968 as President of the Treasury Board.
Benson was Minister of Finance under Pierre Trudeau from 1968 to 1972. He was the last finance minister in over twenty years to introduce a balanced budget. His 1969 budget introduce a capital gains tax that was severely criticised by the business community, particularly Israel Asper who wrote a book called The Benson Iceberg condeming the measure. In his final budget he introduced a tax deduction for child care as a means of helping mothers enter the workforce. He served as Minister of National Defence from January to August 1972 when he retired from politics, choosing not to run in the 1972 election.
