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TORONTO - Paul Martin completed his 13-year ascent to the top of Canadian politics Friday, claiming the leadership of the governing Liberal Party to guarantee he will succeed Jean Chretien as prime minister.
His lone opponent for Liberal leader conceded Martin's victory in a morning speech at the party's convention, and the formal announcement later confirmed that Martin, 65, easily won with 94 percent of the 3,453 ballots counted.
The result fulfilled a dream Martin shared with his late father, also a longtime Liberal Cabinet minister.
Martin, who spent nine years as Chretien's finance minister, had already assumed the role of leader-in-waiting, visiting disaster areas and meeting with Liberal Party lawmakers after securing overwhelming first-ballot support for the convention vote in September.
Chretien is expected to step down in upcoming weeks, which would make Martin the prime minister without an election. In Canada's political system, the head of the majority party in Parliament is prime minister.
"I know that the soon-to-be Right Honorable Paul Martin will be a great prime minister," Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, the only other leadership candidate, said in her speech Friday.
Martin's father, also named Paul, died in 1992 after a 33-year political career in which he was known as a champion of social legislation, but failed twice to become Liberal leader.
The younger Martin, who entered politics in 1988 after a successful business career heading Canada Steamship Lines, has a conservative's love of fiscal discipline. He combines that with a commitment to the social legacy championed by his father.
"A sound economy is certainly a major part, but I am much more in my father's vein, both in terms of international affairs and in terms of the role of activist government," he said in a recently released book by journalist John Gray, Paul Martin: The Power of Ambition.
Martin ran for the Liberal Party helm against Chretien in 1990, but lost a tough race that spawned a rivalry between them. This time, he built up grassroots support that gave him a stranglehold on voting delegates at the convention.
He promises change in how government works while adhering to fiscal conservatism, aimed at freeing up money for progressive social programs.
"It's not "Take care of the social problems and somehow wealth will take care of itself,' " said Judy Sgro, a Martin supporter and Liberal member of Parliament from the Toronto area.
Priorities include soothing strains created by the sour relations between Chretien and President Bush, making sure that security needs in the post-Sept. 11 era don't impede trade or border traffic with the United States, and generating research and development that spurs economic growth.
Martin, who has a law degree and speaks both French and English fluently, takes over with the economy on sound footing, due to his nine years as finance minister under Chretien, when broad budget-cutting helped balance the books and draw down a huge deficit. Now the challenge is to continue rebuilding some of the programs hindered by reduced spending, including the military, health care and education.