Irwin Cotler

Irwin Cotler, Canadian lawyer and politician, 47th Canadian Minister of Justice

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Born: May 8, 1940
Age in 2026: 86
Zodiac sign: Taurus
Birth year: 1940

About Irwin Cotler

Irwin Cotler is a retired Canadian politician who was Member of Parliament for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015. He served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal government of Paul Martin lost power following the 2006 federal election. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election in November 1999, winning 92% of votes cast. In 2022, he was profiled in the documentary film First to Stand: The Cases and Causes of Irwin Cotler. As Minister of Justice, Cotler tabled Canada's first-ever National Justice Initiative Against Racism, in parallel with the government's National Action Plan Against Racism.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Irwin Cotler was born

Irwin Cotler was born in 1940. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1940

#1 song"In the Mood" – Glenn Miller
Top movieRebecca
Best-selling bookFor Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentFirst televised college basketball game
Top headlineWinston Churchill becomes British Prime Minister
Technology milestoneFirst McDonald's restaurant opens
Defining fadSwing music hits its peak
Notable inventionJeep (military vehicle)
World population2.30 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
U.S. population132.2M

1940 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Irwin Cotler's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1940	2026
Gas	$0.18	$3.45/gal
Average home	$5,300	$435,000
Average income	$3,100	$67,500
Minimum wage	$0.30	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$0.25	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.03	$0.73
Population	132.2M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.