Canada is known for its rich natural resources, economic stability and evolving technological developments and prosperous nation fabricated with exceptional leaders, one of them being Lester B. Pearson. Canada has come a long way due to the progressive thinking and vision of Lester B. Pearson, a Canadian professor, historian, scholar, statesman, soldier, prime minister, and diplomat, who was the only Canadian to have won the Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis.
(https://globalnews.ca/news/894534/a-list-of-canadians-who-have-won-the-nobel-prize/)
Lester B. Pearson is seldom remembered by the Canadian public, however, he introduced numerous important things including
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universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, student loans, bilingualism and the Canadian flag. Lester B. Pearson’s decisions as prime minister were seen as controversial at the time but have proved to help Canada prosper. Lester B. Pearson was able to improve the social well being of Canadians when he was prime minister. He introduced key social programs that are recognized by Canadians today like universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan and student loans. Lester B.Pearson implemented The Medicare Act in 1966 which makes health care free for all Canadians. As Pearson stated “The government of Canada believes that all Canadians should be able to obtain health services of high quality according to their need for such services and irrespective of their ability to pay. We believe that the only practical and effective way of doing this is through a universal, prepaid, government-sponsored scheme.” The events leading up to free health care included conducting a poll survey asking all Canadians how they would vote on a government-funded health care system, which they would contribute to by paying additional taxes, 80 percent approved the proposal. By implementing universal health care helped many Canadians who couldn’t afford the cost of healthcare. By having universal health care, Pearson was helping build a stronger, better and healthier Canada. The Canadian Pension Plan was passed in the House of Commons on March 29th, 1965. The Canadian Pension Plan is a social insurance program that provides benefits and pensions when contributors retire, are disabled or die. Pearson also introduced student loans which allowed easy, accessible loans for post-secondary students who need help having to pay for their educational expenses. Without student loans, we would have fewer resources available to students and their families in order to pay for their post-secondary education. Student loans allow every individual to have an equal chance of post-secondary education without the financial aspect is a huge concern for students and their families. If an individual is from a not financially stable family, Access to education can possibly end their roots of poverty because education enables the opportunity for greater opportunity and high salary. Pearson has helped improve the lives of Canadian individuals by introducing Medicare, The Canadian Pension Plan and student loans which represents the high point of Canadian welfare state and has positively impacted so many generations. Lester B.
Pearson’s greatest diplomatic achievement came in 1956 when he proposed a UN peacekeeping force in order to carefully maneuver the British and French out of Egypt during the Suez Crisis when the new nationalistic Egyptian government took control of the Suez Canal. Pearson had to be extremely careful when making his decision about the Suez Crisis because if unsuccessful, he could cause the war to spread and Britain, the country he loved second most to Canada, to face animosity. Pearson’s plan of having a UN peacekeeping force proved to be extremely successful making him receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957, the only one for Canada. His suggestion to create a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) resulted in armed forces being withdrawn and peace being restored. Pearson’s involvement in the conflict resulted in Canada being recognized as a worldwide peacekeeper and mediator. This identity is still attributed to Canada today, therefore it’s obvious how important Pearson was in defining Canada as a nation. In addition, when Pearson was in office in the 1960s, he increased and expanded the areas of Canadian foreign aid. As a result, Canada began to play a major role on the international stage and Pearson gave Canadians the sense of humanitarianism and international responsibility that makes us respected global citizens today. All in all, my group felt that Pearson did a particularly good job in establishing an adequate and appropriate foreign policy for Canada. He …show more content…
proved Canada’s independence in foreign affairs and he identified Canadians as the peacekeepers and supporters of the world. We felt that the work Pearson did to preserve world peace (in the name of Canada) and the legacy it left behind also deserves ample recognition. In my opinion, the many things Pearson did to further Canada on the world stage place him as one of Canada’s top Prime Ministers. Lester B.
Pearson’s agenda as Prime Minister to ensure that groups were satisfied to make sure that he maintained national unity within Canada. In order to ensure that various groups were satisfied within Canada, Pearson wanted to ameliorate French-English tensions in Canada and he was a big advocate of women rights. Pearson purveyed the French-Canadians by establishing a Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in 1963. This commission investigated Quebec’s needs and made suggestions about how to keep Canada’s two founding races pleased. French being made an official language of Canada was an event that was suggested by the commission and later implemented in 1969 by Pearson. Lester B. Pearson maintained this idea of national unity and believed that making French a national language of Canada was one step ahead of establishing equal rights and opportunities for both English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians. it would allow Quebec to prosper and grow with the rest of Canada. In order to maintain national unity Pearson also believed that Canada had to have its own identity. Unfortunately at this point, Canada was still heavily associated with Britain and didn’t have its own flag for 96 years since Canada existed. The chance of Canada to have its own flag was discussed several times before but the discussion always led a brick wall until Lester. B Pearson became the prime minister of Canada. Prior to Canada having its own flag, Canada’s official flag from 1867
had been Britain’s Union Flag also known as the Red Ensign. Lester B. Pearson wanted to make sure everyone’s thoughts and opinions were considered when choosing the final Canadian flag design so he decided to have a contest in order to chose the final flag. During Lester B. Pearson’s speech to the Canadian Legion in Winnipeg he expressed, "I believe that today a flag designed around the Maple Leaf, will symbolise and be a true reflection of the new Canada." The flag that is known today as the national flag of Canada was chosen because the flag had a distinctive maple leaf that became world-renowned as the flag that represented all of Canada’s multicultural, accepting society. In 1967, Pearson’s government started the Royal Commission on the Status of Women to address the concerns of Canadian women in order to assimilate them entirely into society. This Commission offered recommendations to the federal government on what they could do to offer equality of opportunity between men and women in various aspects of public life. From this commision, 167 recommendations were made and by Pearson’s government thoroughly investigating these recommendations, new laws and regulations were implemented which helped to maintain and expand women’s roles in Canadian society. We believe that he deserves to be recognized as the greatest Canadian Prime Minister not only because of the pains he put into maintaining national unity, but also because of his ingenuity in creating an international identity for Canada. In conclusion, Lester B. Pearson is the greatest prime minister Canada could have because he promoted the social well being of Canadians, stood for peace and wanted to maintain national unity. Even though Pearson was not known for having an especially outspoken personality, he was a likeable and patient person who embodied Canadian values. Lester B. Pearson is still an iconic historical figure for Canadians and is remembered for his selfless work. Unfortunately, Mr. Pearson died in 1972 and is still remembered by Canadians. Pearson was able to achieve his life goal to make Canada have its own identity and to fulfill various groups needs within Canada. In order for Pearson to remembered and his legacy to continue an airport and multiple schools are named after him. The numerous programs and regulations that he implemented were and still are important to placing Canada as one of the world’s top nations in terms of quality of life and security.
“In 1957, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Canadian diplomat Lester B. Pearson for his pivotal role in the creation and deployment of the United Nations Emergency Force to the Sinai, bringing a relatively successful end to the Suez Crisis of 1956, and creating the concept of peacekeeping as it would be understood throughout the Cold War.” This instigated Canada’s dominant role in peacekeeping...
“Just watch me.”Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau said in 1970. He meant it as he fought to keep Quebec a part of Canada. Not only did he do that, he managed to be prime minister for 16 years, as well as being Canada’s youngest leader at the time. He brought greater civil rights to Canadians, Quebec citizens mainly. His charismatic personality matched his innovative ideas, that enhanced Canada for the better. For his entire political career, not only did Canada watch him, the whole world watched him change the country for the better. He made a radical change to Canada by championing the idea of officially implementing bilingualism. Trudeau was a trailblazer from the moment he was elected.
John Diefenbaker was instrumental in bringing in the bill of rights, which "provides Canadians with certain quasi-constitutional rights in relation to other federal statutes," (wikipedia.com). The bill of rights was created in 1960 it gave Canadians Freedom of speech and freedom of religion, The right to life, liberty and security of the person, and in another section, rights to fundamental justice; these are all things that were left out of the charter. Diefenbaker also had some questionable decisions like the decision to cancel the Avro Arrow project, which was a mach-2 interceptor jet. This jet was supposed to be the Canadian Air Forces Interceptor from 1960 and beyond. The project had been started when the liberals were in power but in June 1957 the liberals lost the election to John Diefenbaker and the Conservatives. Diefenbaker thought that the project was taking too much time and money and in February 1959 he cancelled the project. Another policy that Diefenbaker passed was the Agriculture Rehabilitation and Development Act that was targeted at enhancing the viability of rural communities through improved resource use and retraining to facilitate the exit of marginal farmers to other jobs as well as authorized the Canadian Wheat Board to make advance payments to producers on a portion of their farm-stored grain. Diefenbaker also played a big part of getting free health care; in 1961 the Royal Commission on Health Services was created, it studied and reported on the health care needs of Canadians. The following year, the Government of Saskatchewan offered free access to physician services to all of its citizens. Diefenbaker set many bills, polices and acts into action but he was also vital in redefining Canada's culture identity.
Eleven years after the second world war, a crisis occurred which had the potential to escalate into a third world war. Hostilities ran high and the background causes that prompted this crisis contained the same fundamentals as were seen in the first and second world wars. Those being militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism; wrought by those countries that had an interest in the Suez Canal and the Arab states. In the world of superpowers in conflict, Canada made a name for itself through an innovative peacekeeping scheme, instead of aggression (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 1999-2000). If Canada had not become involved in the Suez Crisis, as a neutral party, it could have escalated into a world war. The three components which add up to the conclusion of the Suez Crisis and a bench mark for Canada and world peacekeeping are: Canada's choice for those countries directly involved in the crisis, Canada's choice for involvement, and Canada's resolution of the United Nations Emergency Force, which would put a stop to a possible world war.
Canada refused to participate in the Suez canal crisis, “this action was a symbolic gesture that showed both England and the World that Canada was now a fully autonomous nation in total control of its foreign policy” (http://mrmillerss11.blogspot.ca/2010/02/feb-24-canadas-autonomy-timeline.html) . To stop any violence that would soon abrupt Lester. B.Pearson came up with the idea of “peacekeeping”. He stated “We are now emerging into an age when different civilizations will have to learn to live side by side in peaceful interchange, learning from each other, studying each other’s history and ideals, art and culture, mutually enriching each other’s lives. »
Canada’s eligibility to participate on the world stage and its move towards independence was proven after the accomplishments at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Foremost, Canada’s first opportunity to partake on the world stage came soon after the end of World War I, during the Paris Peace Conference. The accomplishments of the Canadian Army in the Battle of Vimy Ridge helped to earn Canada a spot in the Paris Peace Conference, after long arguments made on behalf of Canada by Prime Minister Robert Broden . The Prime Minister argued that Canada’s wartime record had earned Canada a seat separate from Britain. Canada was granted the seat despite the disapproval of the American President, Woodrow Wilson’s as they contributed greatly to the Allied forces especially in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The approval of Canada’s seat is important to both the significance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the eligibility to participate on the world stage because it was one of the first steps Canada took towards its independence from Great Britain. Additionally, Canada became more social with other countries separate from Britain after the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Canada involved itself more in trading after the battle and the war, and had a flourishing...
In Canadian history there are many famous people. In my mind one really stands out among the rest. His name is Terry Fox and he is one of the greatest athlete to run on the face of this planet. Terry discovered he had cancer and then decided to run across Canada. He was a brave man who would take what the world through at him. Running across Canada was his way to show the world that he was not going out with out a fight.
Canada has become a superior nation thru, perseverance, courage and even care as they persevered thru many dark battles, and made sure they all came thru together as a unit other than individuals. Their courage made there fighting 100% stronger as they wouldn’t back down to any task and they weren’t afraid to lose their life to help a fellow friend and country out. Care played a major aspect in each Canadian heart. There cared about Britain so they weren’t to go help them when they declared war, they helped other troops with their emotional problems and lastly they even cared a little about there enemies as they are the same person, however the only thing separating them is there culture. Canadians contributed in many ways to help our country's great efforts in the First World War.
Pierre Trudeau is the greatest Canadian of the twentieth century due to the fact that he declared Canada’s independence from Great Britain, he abolished the death penalty, and he created the Official Languages Act, making our nation entirely bilingual.
Lester B. Pearson has made many accomplishments throughout his life. He was the representative from Canada in the United Nations. He was the prime minister of Canada through 1963-1968. During his time of being Prime Minister, and even before, he has impacted Canada quite strongly. He is a very significant man because of the way he established Canadian Identity culturally, socially and through global relationships. He was the man who introduced ways to change Canada in order to improve lives.
John Diefenbaker was the last “old Tory” to be the Prime Minister of Canada. He was a member of the Conservative Party with deep values as well as being a British loyalist who supported the Queen. Diefenbaker was also a man that was well known for not supporting anything he thought was anti- British. This sentiment was most evident when Diefenbaker criticized the Liberal’s refusal to support Britain in the Suez Canal crisis and sided with the Americans. This loyalty the Diefenbaker had to the British Commonwealth would not serve him well as Prime Minister of Canada. In 1958, Diefenbaker would win the largest majority government in Canadian history upsetting the new leader of the Liberal Party, Lester B. Pearson, who had taken over for St. Laurent. In the election Diefenbaker would win 208 seats out of a possible 265 seats. The Liberal Party, led by Pearson would only be able to obtain 48 seats making them the Official Opposition. Five years after this historic win, John Diefenbaker would once again rewrite history by losing the largest number of seats in Canadian history. Historians who have written about Diefenbaker are confounded when they try to unravel the puzzling actions of Diefenbaker in his dealings with others concerning foreign and domestic policies. Many historians look at a few major mistakes that Diefenbaker committed during his term as Prime Minister from 1957 until 1963 which led to his collapse of power. The major events that led to the downfall of his government in 1963 included; the amount of spending and tax cut bills his government passed immediately after the election, the Avro Canada planes which Canada was building to become the leader in aeroplane technology, the Bomarc Missile Crisis in the 1960s in whi...
"It is what we prevent, rather than what we do that counts most in Government." (Mackenzie King august 26, 1936) This statement sums up the best secrets of Mackenzie King's success as prime minister, and perhaps, the key to governing Canada effectively. King's record of prime minister is sometimes difficult to judge. He had no uninteresting images, he gave no repetitive speeches, and he champions no drastic stage. He is remembered for his easygoing, passive compromise and conciliation (Gregory, page 267). Yet Mackenzie King led Canada for a total of twenty-two years, through half the Depression and all of the Second World War. Like every other prime minister, he had to possess ambition, endurance and determination to become prime minister and, in spite if appearances, his accomplishments in that role required political acuity, decisiveness and faultless judgment.
Sir John A. Macdonald was one of Canada's founding fathers. He is most remembered as being Canada's first Prime Minister, running the government from July 1, 1867 until November 5, 1873. Macdonald would become Prime Minister once again on October 17, 1878 and would stay in this position until June 6,1891. While he was leader of the country he faced his own share of political obstacles, including Confederation, the Metis rebellion and threats of an American he is among the greatest leaders Canada has ever seen and played a significant part in the forming of Canada as a country.
Pearson, Lester B. Mike; the Memoirs of the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson. Vol. 1. Toronto:
William Lyon Mackenzie King was one of the greatest prime ministers in Canada, although he did not give a fascinating speech or had an exciting image and supported few radical policies . King’s opinions were very strong and would not be changed no matter what. No one could influence King and this was shown through his leadership during the Great Depression and the election in 1930.