John T Holmes

John Thomas Holmes is a Canadian diplomat who served as ambassador to the Philippines, Turkey, Indonesia, and Jordan. Born in Ormstown, Quebec, and raised in Hemmingford, he studied at Champlain Regional College and earned degrees in history, political science (1978), and law (1982) from McGill University. He is married to Carol Bujeau, a communications specialist and author, and they have two children, Jordan and Kayla.

Holmes began his diplomatic career in 1983 as a junior diplomat in Barbados. Upon returning to Ottawa, he focused on international human rights and humanitarian law, leading Canada's delegation in drafting the Convention on the Rights of the Child. He later worked on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and several anti-terrorism conventions.

Appointed Ambassador to Jordan in 2003, Holmes also served as Canada's first Ambassador to Iraq since 1991. In 2006, he became Ambassador to Indonesia with responsibility for Timor-Leste and later Canada's first Ambassador to ASEAN. He coordinated Canada's response to the Arab Spring during his tenure in the Middle East Bureau.

In 2011, Holmes was appointed Ambassador to Turkey, handling concurrent responsibilities for Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkmenistan. During the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, he led efforts to ensure Canadian safety. As Ambassador to the Philippines, he resolved a waste dispute with international attention, successfully repatriating mislabeled Canadian garbage.

Holmes retired after 37 years of service in 2019.