Remembering John McCallum: Former Liberal Cabinet Minister and Ambassador

John McCallum, a former federal Liberal cabinet minister, has passed away at the age of 75. His family announced that he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.

Described as a loving and kind family man with a witty sense of humor, McCallum had a distinguished political career. He was elected as the Liberal MP for Markham-Unionville in 2000 and served in various cabinet positions including national defense, veterans affairs, revenue, and immigration, refugees, and citizenship.

One of his notable achievements was as former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first immigration minister, where he played a key role in resettling 50,000 Syrian refugees in Canada. McCallum also made history as Canada’s first political appointment to Beijing, serving as ambassador to China from 2017-19.

However, his time as ambassador was not without controversy. McCallum was dismissed from his post following comments he made during the diplomatic crisis surrounding Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s extradition case in Canada.

Before entering politics, McCallum had a successful career as chief economist for the Royal Bank of Canada and as the dean of arts at McGill University in Montreal.

The family has requested privacy during this difficult time as they mourn the loss of their beloved family member.