York Region extends condolences on passing of John McCallum

On behalf of York Regional Council and The Regional Municipality of York, I extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of former federal cabinet minister, The Honourable John McCallum.

Mr. McCallum’s political career spanned nearly two decades. He was first elected in 2000 as Member of Parliament (MP) for Markham – later representing Markham-Unionville – and served in the House of Commons until 2017.

During his political career, he held several cabinet positions under three separate Prime Ministers. His roles included Minister of National Defence, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, where he was instrumental in resettling 50,000 Syrian refugees in Canada – one of his most significant political achievements. He resigned from politics in 2019 while serving as Canada's Ambassador to China.

Before his political career, Mr. McCallum made notable contributions in business and academia as Chief Economist at the Royal Bank of Canada and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University in Montreal.

Mr. McCallum was well respected – known as a kind person with a great sense of humour, a family man and an inspiration and friend to many. Our thoughts are with his family, including his wife Nancy, his children and grandchildren.

Eric Jolliffe
York Region Chairman and CEO

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