John Wendele Shields was a Progressive Conservative party

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....

 member of the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

. He was a businessman and teacher by career.

Shields was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta

Grande Prairie, Alberta

Grande Prairie is a city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta in Western Canada. It is located on the southern edge of the Peace River Country . The city is surrounded by the County of Grande Prairie No...

. He died aged 74 of heart failure

Myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...

 following bladder surgery.

He represented the Alberta riding of Athabasca where he was first elected in the 1980 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1980

The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...

 and re-elected in 1984

Canadian federal election, 1984

The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...

 and again in 1988

Canadian federal election, 1988

The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....

. He served in the 32nd

32nd Canadian Parliament

The 32nd Canadian Parliament was in session from April 14, 1980 until July 9, 1984. The membership was set by the 1980 federal election on February 18, 1980, and it only changed slightly due to resignations and by-elections prior to being dissolved before the 1984 election.It was controlled by a...

, 33rd

33rd Canadian Parliament

The 33rd Canadian Parliament was in session from November 5, 1984 until October 1, 1988. The membership was set by the 1984 federal election on September 4, 1984, and it only changed slightly due to resignations and by-elections prior to being dissolved before the 1988 election.It was controlled...

 and 34th Canadian Parliament

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 was dissolved prior to the 1993 election.It was...

s.

In 1991, Shields incurred controversy for allegedly shouting “Shut up, Sambo” to Howard McCurdy

Howard McCurdy

Howard Douglas McCurdy is a retired Canadian politician and university professor.McCurdy studied at the University of Western Ontario, where he received a Bachelor of Arts, and later at Assumption University, where he received a Bachelor of Science. He was awarded a Master of Science and a Ph.D...

, the sole black member of Parliament. Shields denied ever making the comments.

Shields left federal politics after his defeat in the 1993 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1993

The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...

 to Dave Chatters of the Reform Party

Reform Party of Canada

The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....

.

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
  Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is one of the three regular force infantry regiments of the Canadian Army. The regiment is composed of four battalions including a primary reserve battalion, for a total of 2,000 soldiers...
  
  
• 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 / Honors

• Canadian Armed Forces Decoration (CD)
• Korean Volunteer Services Medal (KVSM)
• Korean Champaign Medal
• United Nations Medal for Korea
  United Nations Service Medal
  The United Nations Service Medal for Korea is an international military decoration which was established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950...
  
  
• Ambassador for Peace Medal (Korean Government)

Tributes

On 1 December 2006, Brian Jean

Brian Jean

Brian M. Jean is a Canadian politician representing the riding of Athabasca in the House of Commons.-Early life and education:...

, Member of Parliament for Shields' former riding of Fort McMurray—Athabasca rose in the House of Commons to pay the following tribute:

External links

(obituary)