Cameron was born in Hawkesbury, Canada West (now Ontario), and was educated at Vankleek Hill High School.

In 1902, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal for the riding of Fort William and Lake of the Woods, defeating Conservative Thomas Smellie, 1483 votes to 1121.

Cameron stood as a Liberal candidate for Winnipeg in the 1908 federal election, but lost to Conservative Alexander Haggart by 8747 votes to 6729.

The position was largely ceremonial by this time, and Cameron had little involvement in the day-to-day affairs of the province's government.

In 1915, however, Cameron used his constitutional authority to call a Royal Commission of Enquiry into an ongoing scandal involving the construction costs of the province's new legislative buildings.