John Baird Finlay (January 29, 1929 – October 17, 2010) was a member of the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

from 1993 to 2004. His career had been in the school system, as a teacher and superintendent. Finlay was born in 1929 in

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. He attended John Wanless public school in Toronto (1934–36), then a PNEU school in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1936. He returned to Toronto in 1937 and attended Hodgson public school until 1942 followed by

University of Toronto Schools University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school follows a specialized academic curriculum, and admission is determined by a written exam ...

until 1947. He then studied at

Victoria College, Toronto Victoria University is a federated college of the University of Toronto located at the St. George campus in Downtown Toronto. The school was founded in 1836 by the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada as a nonsectarian literary institution. From ...

earning a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1952. His teaching career included terms at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...

from 1952 to 1954, then in

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 46,705 according to the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, Ontario, Oxford County, at the head of the Thames River, On ...

, from 1955 to 1964 except for the 1957–58 school year at

Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute (aka I.D.C.I.) is a public high school in Ingersoll, Ontario. As the only high school in Ingersoll, it also serves the village of Thamesford, and the rural areas surrounding both communities It is in the Th ...

(IDCI). He was assistant secretary of the

Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) is a Canadian trade union which represents 60,000 members across Ontario. Founded in 1919, its membership includes public high school teachers, occasional teachers, teaching assistants, ps ...

from 1964 to 1967. He became vice-principal (1967–69) and principal (1970–73) in

, and returned to IDCI as principal from 1973 to 1977. He earned a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

in 1977. From that year to 1988, he was superintendent of schools for the Oxford County Board of Education. Finlay made unsuccessful attempts at political office in the 1963 Woodstock municipal election, and in the 1981 and 1987 Ontario elections. He was elected to federal office in the riding of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

under the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

in the 1993, 1997 and 2000 general elections, serving in the

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

, 36th and

37th Canadian Parliament The 37th Canadian Parliament was in session from January 29, 2001, until May 23, 2004. The membership was set by the 2000 federal election on November 27, 2000, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was di ...

s respectively. Finlay left office in 2004 as he chose not to campaign again for the Oxford riding. David Mackenzie of the Conservative party won the riding in that year's general election. Towards the end of his life, Finlay suffered from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. He died at a care facility in Tavistock, Ontario on October 17, 2010, at the age of 81.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Finlay, John Baird 1929 births 2010 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Dominican Republic emigrants to Canada Heads of schools in Canada University of Western Ontario alumni Deaths from Parkinson's disease in Canada 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Neurological disease deaths in Ontario