| John Wendele Shields | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Athabasca |
|
| In office 1980–1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Paul Yewchuk |
| Succeeded by | Dave Chatters |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 December 1929 Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada |
| Died | 29 November 2004 (aged 74) |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
John Wendele Shields (25 December 1929 – 29 November 2004) was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was a businessman and teacher by career.
Shields was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta. He died aged 74 of heart failure 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 Parliaments.
In 1991, Shields incurred controversy for allegedly shouting “Shut up, Sambo” to Howard McCurdy, the sole black member of Parliament.[1] Shields denied ever making the comments.
Shields left federal politics after his defeat in the 1993 federal election to Dave Chatters of the Reform 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.
On 1 December 2006, Brian Jean, Member of Parliament for Shields' former riding of Fort McMurray—Athabasca rose in the House of Commons to pay the following tribute:
| “ | Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Jack Shields, a member of this House from 1980 to 1993, who died two days ago after battling with cancer. Born in Alberta, Mr. Shields moved to Fort McMurray in 1963 after serving in the Korean war. He was the founding president of Keyano College, now an internationally recognized school. He was the president of the Chamber of Commerce, founding member and president of the Kinsmen Club, chairman of the Public School Board and owned many businesses employing hundreds of local persons throughout the years. He was a very colourful character known for his humour, creativity and generosity. He was a man who year after year would fly his own private plane to the Indian hamlet of Janvier and, dressed up as jolly old Saint Nick, would distribute hundreds of toys to infant aboriginal children. He was a man of the people for the people of Canada and was a true Albertan. He will be missed by his wife, Pat, and family members in Alberta. | ” |
| Parliament of Canada | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Yewchuk |
Member of Parliament Athabasca 1980-1993 |
Succeeded by Dave Chatters |