Ambassador Jack Whittleton was born in Regina, Canada, graduated from San Francisco State College with a BA in International Relations in 1961, and followed post-graduate studies in Political Science at the University of Oregon in 1962. His professional career is as follows:

• 1963: Joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada
• 1964: Posted to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as Third Secretary
• 1966: Posted to Tel Aviv, Israel, as Second Secretary
• 1969: Worked in the Commonwealth and Caribbean Divisions, in Ottawa
• 1973: Posted as First Secretary/Counsellor to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• 1975: Returned to Ottawa as Deputy Director, United States Division
• 1976: Transferred to North Asia and Pacific Division as Director
• 1982: Posted to Tokyo, Japan, as Minister
• 1986: Posted to Jakarta, Indonesia, as Ambassador
• 1989: Returned to Ottawa as Director General, Trade and Foreign Policy Communications
• 1994: Assigned as Director General, Latin America and Caribbean Bureau