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The Honourable James (Jim) Scott Peterson (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian politician and current (as of December 12, 2003) Minister of International Trade.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he has a Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) from McGill University, a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Columbia University, and a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario.
As an MP in the House of Commons he represents the riding of Willowdale in Toronto. Peterson first ran as a candidate for the Liberal Party in the 1979 election but was defeated. He ran again in the 1980 election and won but lost his seat in the 1984 election. He was returned to Parliament as a result of the 1988 election and has been re-elected in each subsequent election.
In 1997 Jean Chrétien appointed him to the Ministry as secretary of state (international financial institutions), but Peterson was sent back to the backbench in 2002. He returned to serve in the cabinet of Paul Martin, whom Peterson had long supported.
Peterson first came to public attention in 1974 when he helped ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov defect from the USSR during a performance of the Bolshoi Ballet in Toronto.
Jim Peterson is the brother of former Ontario Premier David Peterson. Another brother, Tim Peterson, sits in the Ontario legislature.
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