Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 1st President of Canada from 1991 to 1998 and is a central figure in the fall of Communism in Canada, the early years of its democratization and, despite being a revered figure on the Canadian right, is a nearly universally respected figure in the country for his efforts at integrating the traditional Canadian opposition both in Canada and abroad with the Progressive Alliance founded in the late 1970s by Brian Mulroney, who was both his bitter rival and closest political ally. After his Presidency, Clark emerged as an elder statesman for Canada and a kingmaker amongst its squabbling conservative parties. Clark publicly opposed the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party with the Reform an