Velon Leo John

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

is a

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

n politician who represented the Laborie constituency for the

Saint Lucia Labour Party The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds 15 of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly. History The party was established in 1949, backed by the Saint Lucia Workers Cooperative Un ...

. John was born 19 April 1942 in

Laborie Laborie is a village on the south coast of Saint Lucia. It was originally called l'Islet a Caret after the Loggerhead sea turtles that were found in the area. The name Laborie is named after Baron de Laborie who was the French governor of Saint ...

. He has a law degree from

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

, Canada, and a master's degree from

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

. Died June 13, 2025 John was a senator in the

Senate of Saint Lucia The Senate of Saint Lucia is the upper house of the Parliament of Saint Lucia. It has 11 appointed members. All members are appointed by the Governor-General, of which 6 are appointed on the Prime Minister's advice, 3 on the advice of the lead ...

from 1988 to 1990. He was appointed as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

from February 1996 to May 1997. In 2006 he served as the Minister for Labour Relations, Public Service and Co-operatives. He stood down before the general election of 11 December 2006. John is known for his oratory skills and his wide vocabulary.The Declaration of a Dying Politician
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References

Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire Members of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia Members of the Senate of Saint Lucia Saint Lucia Labour Party politicians Government ministers of Saint Lucia 1942 births University of Ottawa Faculty of Law alumni University of Miami School of Law alumni {{SaintLucia-politician-stub