Hamilton, Ontario. Photo: Rick Cordeiro/Public Domain
Hamilton, Ontario. Photo: Rick Cordeiro/Public Domain

A former Canadian city official who helped hundreds of Vietnamese refugees settle in Canada has passed away. John Smith, the former alderman and Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) of Hamilton, Ontario passed away on December 6 at the age of 82, The Spec reported.

Towards the end of the 1970s, Smith and a group of his friends formed The Mountain Fund To Help the Boat People. The Fund is a federally registered charity that helped Vietnamese refugees who were fleeing the Vietnam War.

Over the course of 14 years, the charity helped bring hundreds of Vietnamese men, women and children refugees into Canada.

Smith was elected as a Conservative MPP for the Hamilton Mountain riding in 1967 and served for 10 years. In the 1980s he served as a councilman in the city’s Ward 6. He is survived by his wife, his three children and four grandchildren.

4 replies on “Canadian MP who helped Vietnamese refugees passes away”

Comments are closed.