John Wendele Shields (25 December 1929 – 29 November 2004) was a
Progressive Conservative party member of the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
. He was a businessman and teacher by career.
Shields was born in
Grande Prairie,
Alberta. He died aged 74 of
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
following bladder surgery.
He represented the Alberta riding of
Athabasca where he was first elected in the
1980 federal election and
re-elected in 1984 and
again in 1988. He served in the
32nd,
33rd and
34th Canadian Parliament
The 34th Canadian Parliament was in session from December 12, 1988, until September 8, 1993. The membership was set by the 1988 federal election on November 21, 1988, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it wa ...
s.
In 1991, Shields incurred controversy for allegedly shouting "Shut up, Sambo" to
Howard McCurdy
Howard Douglas McCurdy (December 10, 1932 – February 20, 2018) was a Canadian civil rights activist, politician and university professor.
Life and career
Born in London, Ontario, McCurdy's great-great grandfather Nasa McCurdy was an agent ...
, the sole black member of Parliament. Shields denied ever making the comments.
Shields left federal politics after his defeat in the
1993 federal election to
David Chatters of the
Reform Party; he lost over half of his vote from 1988.
Shields served with the Canadian Army in Korea. He left the military in 1958 to complete high school and went on to earn a degree in education from the University of Alberta.
Member of the House of Commons, 1980–1993
* Elected to the House of Commons in February 1980, served until October 1993
* Opposition Deputy Critic - Energy, 1980–1984
* Chairman of the Alberta Caucus, 1982–1992
* Governor General Appointments, 1984–1992
* Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour
* Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy
* Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade
* Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Immigration
* Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
Canadian Armed Forces, 1947–1957
* 1st Battalion,
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI, generally referred to as the Patricia's) is one of the three Regular Force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army of the Canadian Armed Forces. Formed in 1914, it is named for Princess Patrici ...
* Airborne Regiment
* 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
* Served in Korean War as Platoon Sgt., 1950–1951
* Discharged in 1957, having achieved rank of Warrant Officer
Decorations and honours
* Canadian Armed Forces Decoration (CD)
* Korean Volunteer Services Medal (KVSM)
* Korean Champaign Medal
*
United Nations Medal for Korea
* Ambassador for Peace Medal (Korean Veterans Association)
Tributes
On 1 December 2004,
Brian Jean, Member of Parliament for Shields' former riding of
Fort McMurray—Athabasca rose in the House of Commons to pay the following tribute:
References
External links
*
* (obituary)
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shields, Jack
1929 births
2004 deaths
Canadian military personnel of the Korean War
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Alberta
People from Grande Prairie
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs
Canadian military personnel from Alberta
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry soldiers