General John de Chastelain, one of the three "independent chairmen" of the Stormont talks, was chief of staff of the Canadian armed forces from 1989 to December 1995. His career has included senior posts with the United Nations and NATO and a two-year term as Canada's ambassador to the United States. He served as ambassador from 1993 to 1994, when he returned to Canada to resume his position as head of the armed forces at the request of the incoming Liberal government of Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
Gen de Chastelain is of Scots origin. He was born a British subject in Bucharest in 1937 and educated in England and Scotland.
He emigrated to Canada in 1955 and joined the Canadian army as a private. He attended the Canadian Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, graduating with a history degree and a second lieutenant's commission in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
During the 1960s, he served with this regiment with NATO in Germany and later with the United Nations in Cyprus. He returned to Canada to take command of a military base in Montreal, contributing to the security surrounding the 1976 Olympics.
His later career included commander of the Canadian Royal Military College, commander of a mechanised brigade in Germany, director general, land doctrine and operations, and vice-chief of staff before becoming chief of staff in 1989.
He is married with one son, a daughter and two granddaughters.