John McCallum, a former Liberal cabinet minister and a mainstay of 21st century Canadian politics, has died at age 75, his family confirmed on Sunday.
A statement said McCallum passed away peacefully Saturday surrounded by family.
McCallum was first elected to the House of Commons to represent the Greater-Toronto-Area riding of Markham in 2000 and went on to serve as a cabinet minister for three different Liberal prime ministers. His portfolios included national defence, veterans affairs and immigration, refugees and citizenship.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
His time in politics followed a career that included stints as chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada and dean of arts at McGill University — he headed up the faculty at the same time his future boss, Justin Trudeau, was a student there.
The former prime minister issued a social media post on Sunday in which he called McCallum a “friend” who helped Canada navigate “some of its most challenging times.”
“I will never forget how as a cabinet minister he helped me as a new Prime Minister steer the government through the rapid resettlement of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. He made it happen despite real challenges in an unpredictable time,” Trudeau said in a post on X.
McCallum was also Canada’s ambassador to China from 2017 to 2019, but resigned at Trudeau’s request after wading into controversies surrounding the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Canada.
McCallum’s 2019 comments to Chinese-language media in Canada appeared to offer credence to Wanzhou’s claims that the arrest was politically motivated, running counter to the Canadian government’s stated position at the time; he later said he “misspoke.”
Trudeau never offered a reason for McCallum’s dismissal.
Tim Hodgson, Canada’s energy minister and MP for Markham-Thornhill, issued a statement on social media marking McCallum’s legacy in the riding.
“He served with integrity, exemplifying the very best of Canadian values,” Hodgson wrote in a post on X.
“I hope to honour that legacy by serving the people of Markham–Thornhill with the same grace and dedication he brought to public life.”
His relatives said they remember him as “a loving and kind family man with a witty sense of humour.” They also thanked Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, Ont., for his care.
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