Former Canadian world figure skating champion and federal cabinet minister Otto Jelinek has died at the age of 86, marking the end of a remarkable career that spanned international sport, business and Canadian politics.
Jelinek died peacefully in hospital on Saturday, according to his family. His younger brother, Henry Jelinek, said Otto remained deeply committed to Canada throughout his life.
Born in Prague in 1940, Jelinek and his family fled communist Czechoslovakia and eventually settled in Canada. He and his sister, Maria, went on to represent Canada in pairs figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics in California.
Two years later, the siblings achieved one of the highlights of their sporting careers when they won the 1962 world figure skating championship in Prague. Their victory carried particular significance because they had returned to the country their family had fled after the rise of communism.
After retiring from competitive skating, Jelinek worked as a sports commentator, toured with the Ice Capades and established a business manufacturing hockey and figure skates. He later turned his attention to politics.
Jelinek entered federal politics in 1972 and spent more than two decades in Parliament. As a Progressive Conservative, he represented Toronto and later the Oakville area. During Brian Mulroney’s government, he held several cabinet positions, including Minister of National Revenue, as well as portfolios involving sport, multiculturalism, public works, and supply and services.
As revenue minister, Jelinek played a role in implementing and defending the Goods and Services Tax (GST) while also addressing concerns surrounding cross-border shopping.
After leaving politics, Jelinek moved to the Czech Republic for a period and established a consultancy helping Canadian and U.S. businesses operate in Eastern Europe. In 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed him Canadian ambassador to the Czech Republic.
His family said Jelinek took particular pride in eventually representing Canada diplomatically in the country where he had been born and from which his family had fled.
Jelinek spent his later years in Canada, enjoying gardening, golf, tennis and music. He had lived with Parkinson’s disease for nearly two decades, his brother said.
Jelinek leaves behind a legacy that crossed several worlds—from Olympic and world championship figure skating to federal politics and diplomacy—while his life story reflected his family’s journey from communist Czechoslovakia to Canada.
Swifteradio.com
