John McCallum, a former federal Liberal cabinet minister, has died. He was 75.
A statement from McCallum’s family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
“To us, John was simply a loving and kind family man with a witty sense of humour,” the statement reads.
McCallum was elected the Liberal MP for Markham-Unionville in 2000. Throughout his political career, he served as a cabinet minister in several portfolios, including national defence, veterans affairs, revenue, and immigration, refugees and citizenship.
As former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s first immigration minister, McCallum helped resettle 50,000 Syrian refugees in Canada.
“He made it happen despite real challenges in an unpredictable time,” Trudeau said on social media about the resettlements. “I’m thinking of his whole family and all his many friends at this difficult time.”
McCallum also served as ambassador to China from 2017-19, becoming Canada’s first political appointment to Beijing. He went on to lose his post over comments he made during the diplomatic crisis surrounding Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s fight to avoid extradition to the U.S. from Canada.
Prime Minister Mark Carney lauded McCallum on social media, describing him as “an inspiration, a mentor, and a friend.”
“John served Canada and academia with great distinction, helping us to find solutions to our biggest economic challenges, devoting his invaluable insights to the service of Canada’s democracy and diplomacy, and always doing so with good humour and grace,” Carney said.
Prior to entering politics, McCallum served as chief economist for the Royal Bank of Canada and dean of arts at McGill University in Montreal.
The family has asked for privacy.
