Born and raised in the small francophone agricultural village of Pain Court in South-western Ontario (Canada), Caron attended the University of Ottawa (B.A.
[1] He joined the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service in 1972 and served abroad in Saigon (Vietnam) and Ankara (Turkey).
Caron began Japanese language studies in 1975, and subsequently served three times at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, including as minister and head of chancery.
In 1998, he became Assistant Deputy Minister for Asia Pacific and Africa (Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs), and served as Canada's senior official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
On October 12, 2010, Caron was appointed to the Board of Directors of Manulife Financial, located in Toronto, Ontario.