Boudria was re-elected without difficulty in 1988,1993,1997 and 2000. Like the other Rat Pack members,he rose rapidly in the Liberal ranks. From 1991 to 1993,he served as Deputy Liberal House Leader. After the Liberals won a huge majority in 1993,Boudria returned temporarily to the back benches. He was appointed Chief Government Whip on September 15,1994. He held this position until October 4,1996,when he was named to Cabinet as Minister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for La Francophonie.
Boudria was known within the Liberal caucus as a leading Chrétien loyalist. During Question Period,he frequently handed Chrétien notes from a white binder. Due to this practice,Reform Party deputy leader Deb Grey asked in 2000 if Chrétien could answer a question "without any help from Binder Boy."[2] The nickname stuck.
Boudria was not reappointed to cabinet in December 2003 when Paul Martin replaced Chrétien as Liberal leader and prime minister. However,he became chair of the Official Languages Committee,and after the 2004 federal election,became chair of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee. Subsequently,he was elected chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages (3rd session of the 37th parliament) and the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (1st session of the 38th parliament).
On May 6,2005,Boudria announced he would not run in the next election.
Life after government
Boudria's memoir,Busboy:From Kitchen to Cabinet,was published in late 2005. In 2006,he assisted Stéphane Dion's campaign for the leadership of the Liberal Party. Boudria joined Ottawa-based public relations agency Hill &Knowlton Canada as a senior associate in May 2006,and was promoted to senior counsellor in March 2007. He continued with Hill &Knowlton Canada up until June 2023,before beginning a new professional journey as senior associate at Sandstone Group.
The University of Ottawa has created an annual scholarship under his name to nurture Canadian history scholars.
The city of Ottawa has also established a Don Boudria Park in Orleans to recognize his many years of service to the region and to Canadians at large. It was opened in July 2020 and officially inaugurated by Jim Watson,the Mayor of Ottawa,in August 2021.
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