NewzOTTAWA — Otto Jelinek, a former world-champion figure skater and federal cabinet minister, has died at the age of 86. The Jelinek family says he died peacefully in hospital on Saturday after living with Parkinson’s disease for nearly 20 years. Jelinek was born in Prague and his family escaped communism in Czechoslovakia when he was a young boy.
Jelinek and his sister Maria went on to represent Canada in figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics in California. He then entered federal politics, representing the Oakville, Ont. area for two decades and serving as national revenue minister under then prime minister Brian Mulroney, as well as portfolios in sport and multiculturalism.
He left politics after considering running for leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party, and was later appointed Canadian Ambassador to the Czech Republic. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
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