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John McCallum, PC, MP, MA, Ph.D (born April 9, 1950) is a Canadian politician, economist and university professor. Following the 2006 Federal Election, he became the Liberal Finance Critic in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet. Before the election, he was the thirty-seventh Minister of National Revenue and was also the Minister responsible for Canada Post Corporation, the Royal Canadian Mint, from 2004 to 2006 and acting Minister of Natural Resources from 2005 to 2006.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, he has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens' College, Cambridge University, a diplôme d'études supérieures from Université de Paris and a Doctorate in economics from McGill University. He was a professor of economics at the University of Manitoba from 1976 until 1978, Simon Fraser University from 1978 until 1982, the Université du Québec à Montréal from 1982 until 1987, and McGill University from 1987 until 1994. He is an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada student #S139. He was also Dean of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University. He then became Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist of the Royal Bank of Canada.
He is the author of 1980 book, Unequal Beginnings: Agriculture and Economic Development in Quebec and Ontario until 1870. He is also the co-author (with Clarence Barber) of Unemployment and Inflation: The Canadian Experience and Controlling Inflation: Learning from Experience in Canada, Europe and Japan. He also co-wrote Parting as friends: the economic consequences for Quebec in 1991 and Global Disequilibrium in the World Economy in 1992.
A Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) since the 2000 election, he currently represents Markhamâ??Unionville. McCallum has previously filled the posts of Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions), Minister of National Defence and Minister of Veterans Affairs in the Cabinet of Canada under prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, respectively. He is a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.
He became widely known and criticized in 2002 when he admitted, while serving as the Minister of National Defence, that he had never heard of the 1942 Dieppe raid, a fateful and nationally significant operation for Canadian Forces during the Second World War. Ironically, he wrote a letter to the editor of the National Post in response, but committed a further gaffe, confusing Canadian participation in the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge in France with the Nazi-puppet state of Vichy France from 1940 to 1944. Response at the continued historical ignorance prompted outrage and humour among the press.
He is married to Nancy Lim and has three children.
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