John Howard White (August 16, 1925 – September 5, 1996) was a Progressive Conservative cabinet minister in Ontario, Canada, and Member of Provincial Parliament for London South from 1959 to 1975.
The report that he tabled in September recommended a taxation plan that would have replaced the welfare system with a guaranteed annual income.
The Smith Committee was established in 1962 as a parallel study group to Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Diefenbaker’s Royal Commission on Taxation.
Reporting in September 1968, it was during this period that White developed a reputation as a policy innovator predisposed to social engineering.
He also established twelve "exploratory policy groups" composed of private and public sector representatives, which he assigned to report on small business issues and the Ontario economy.
As Chairman of Cabinet in 1975, White regularly turned back expansive government regulation-making of Ontario businesses by such Ministries as Consumer and Commercial Relations.