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Jim Peterson

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For other people named Jim Peterson, see James Peterson (disambiguation).

The Honourable
Jim Peterson
PC
Minister for International Trade
In office
December 12, 2003 – February 5, 2006
Prime MinisterPaul Martin
Preceded byPierre Pettigrew
Succeeded byDavid Emerson (International Trade)
Member of Parliament
for Willowdale
In office
November 21, 1988 – July 12, 2007
Preceded byJohn Oostrom
Succeeded byMartha Hall Findlay (2008)
In office
February 18, 1980 – September 4, 1984
Preceded byBob Jarvis
Succeeded byJohn Oostrom
Personal details
Born
James Scott Peterson

(1941-07-30)July 30, 1941
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
DiedMay 10, 2024(2024-05-10) (aged 82)
Political partyLiberal
SpouseHeather Johnston
RelationsDavid Peterson (brother)
Tim Peterson (brother)
ProfessionLawyer

James Scott Peterson PC (July 30, 1941 – May 10, 2024) was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1980 to 1984 and again from 1988 to 2007, representing the northern Toronto riding of Willowdale. He served in the cabinets of Jean Chrétien, as Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions), and Paul Martin, as Minister of International Trade.

Personal background

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Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he had a Doctor of Civil Law in International Law from McGill University, a Master of Laws from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario. As well, he had diplomas from Hague Academy of International Law in The Hague and La Sorbonne in Paris.

Peterson was one of three sons of Clarence and Laura Marie Peterson, who were both from Saskatchewan. They moved to Ontario during the Great Depression where Clarence worked as a salesman for several years before establishing a wholesale electronics business, C.M. Peterson Co. Ltd, in 1944 in London. He was elected an alderman on London City Council in the early 1950s and was the provincial Liberal candidate in London North in 1955 against future Premier of Ontario John Robarts, and again as a federal Liberal candidate in 1963 in London.[1]

Both of Jim Peterson's brothers entered politics; David Peterson served as premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990, while Tim Peterson served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2007, first as a Liberal and later as a Progressive Conservative.[2]

Peterson was married to Heather (née Johnston) Peterson, who served as a regional liaison officer in the Prime Minister's Office of Pierre Trudeau and as the national director of John Turner's successful 1984 leadership campaign. The couple were married for over 60 years, until his death, and first met in high school when they were 13 years old.[3][4] Peterson and his wife first came to public attention in 1974 when they helped ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov defect from the Soviet Union during a performance of the Bolshoi Ballet in Toronto.[5]

Prior to entering politics, Peterson practiced international law and taught at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He had also consulted for the United Nations Development Programme in Malaysia and Sudan.[3]

Politics

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As a member of Parliament in the House of Commons he represented the riding of Willowdale in Toronto. Peterson ran as a candidate for the Liberal Party in the 1979 election but was defeated.[6] He ran again in the 1980 election and won.[7] He served as a backbencher under Pierre Trudeau and as a parliamentary secretary from 1981 to 1983. As parliamentary secretary to then justice minister Jean Chrétien, Peterson helped pass Criminal Code of Canada reforms that made it easier to prosecute sexual assault, allowed a victim's partner to be charged, and restricted the admissibility of a victim's sexual history in court, and ended the requirement that rape must be reported immediately as a requirement for charges to be laid.[8]

He supported John Turner's successful bid to succeed Trudeau in the 1984 Liberal leadership contest (for which his wife Heather served as campaign director) but lost his seat in the 1984 election.[9] He was returned to Parliament in the 1988 election and was re-elected in each subsequent election until his retirement in 2007.[10]

Peterson was mentioned as a potential candidate during the 1990 Liberal leadership contest,[11] but opted to support Paul Martin. When the Liberals returned to power under Jean Chrétien, Peterson served as the chair of the standing committee on Finance.

In 1997, Chrétien appointed him to the Ministry as the Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions), but Peterson was sent back to the backbench in 2002. He returned to serve in the cabinet of Paul Martin, whom Peterson had long supported.

Peterson was mentioned as a potential interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada,[12] following the resignation of Paul Martin; however, Bill Graham was named to the position. Peterson did not take a critic's portfolio in the Liberal Party's Shadow Cabinet formed by Graham or by Martin's permanent successor, Stéphane Dion. He and his brother David had supported Michael Ignatieff instead of Dion for the Liberal Party leadership in 2006, with Jim Peterson serving as Ignatieff's Ontario campaign co-chair with former DFAIT cabinet colleague Aileen Carroll.

On March 8, 2007, Peterson announced that he would not be a candidate in the next federal election.[13] Former Liberal Party of Canada leadership candidate Martha Hall Findlay was appointed as the Liberal candidate in his riding.[14] On June 20, 2007, he announced his resignation from the House of Commons, which took effect July 2.[15]

Post political life

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On November 20, 2007, Peterson joined the international law firm of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin as counsel. The following month, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello appointed Peterson as Ontario's chief negotiator in the Quebec/Ontario trade, investment and labour mobility negotiations. In 2017, Ontario's Natural Resources Minister, Kathryn McGarry, appointed Peterson as Ontario's chief negotiator in the ongoing softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the United States.

Peterson died from a heart attack at his farm near Orangeville, Ontario, on May 10, 2024, at the age of 82.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ "From Prairie farm boy to Ontario Liberal patriarch". The Globe and Mail. December 28, 2009. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Smyth, Julie (June 30, 2007). "Political clan taking over neighbourhood". National Post. Toronto, Ontario. p. A10. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "THE HON. JAMES SCOTT PETERSON, PC, BA, MA, LLD". Globe and Mail. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Former Liberal MP Jim Peterson, who died Friday at age 82, remembered for his generosity: 'Lots of room in his heart'". Toronto Star. May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Finlayson, Ann (March 26, 1984). "Five key players on the campaign team". Maclean's. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "Counting the votes: The Liberals watch from their Quebec fortress...as Conservatives sweep most of the West". The Globe and Mail. May 24, 1979. pp. 10–11.
  7. ^ "Federal general election results listed riding-by-riding". The Ottawa Citizen. February 19, 1980. pp. 29–30. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  8. ^ "Liberal MP Peterson to announce retirement". CTV News. March 7, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "How Canada voted". The Globe and Mail. September 5, 1984. pp. 14–15.
  10. ^ "Decision '88: The vote". The Globe and Mail. November 22, 1988. pp. C4–C5.
  11. ^ Wallace, Bruce (January 29, 1990). "The Race Begins". Maclean's. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "The Liberal Party, in search of a future". The Globe and Mail. January 27, 2006.
  13. ^ Delacourt, Susan; Whittington, Les (March 8, 2007). "Rae not sure election is on way". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. p. A6. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Panetta, Alexander (March 8, 2007). "Liberal MP clears way for Hall Findlay". Vancouver Sun. Ottawa, Ontario. The Canadian Press. p. A6. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Second senior Liberal MP quitting". Edmonton Journal. Ottawa, Ontario. June 21, 2007. p. A5. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Jim Peterson, retired Toronto MP and former Liberal trade minister, dead at 82". CBC News. May 10, 2024. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  17. ^ "Former Liberal cabinet minister and MP Jim Peterson dies at 82, family says". Globe and Mail. Canadian Press. May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
[edit]
27th Ministry – Cabinet of Paul Martin
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Pierre Pettigrew Minister of International Trade
2003–2006 		David Emerson
26th Ministry – Cabinet of Jean Chrétien
Sub-Cabinet Post
Predecessor Title Successor
Douglas Peters Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
(1997–2002) 		John McCallum
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