LESTER B. PEARSON — CANADA’S GREATEST PRIME MINISTER?
The man who gave Canada an identity.
Lester B. Pearson is seldom remembered by the Canadian public, however, he introduced numerous important things including universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, student loans, bilingualism and the Canadian flag. When we held discussions in class a couple days ago about whom we believed were Canada’s top Prime Ministers, Pearson often came out on top and rightfully so. My group’s criteria for ranking prime ministers was their general likeability and personality, their foreign policy, and what they had done to further Canada both socially and economically while maintaining national unity. Though Pearson was not known for having an especially outspoken personality, he was a likeable and patient person who embodied the Canadian spirit through his lengthy career as a diplomat and negotiator. In my opinion, the numerous programs that he instituted were and still are important to placing Canada as one of the world’s top nations in terms of quality of life and security.
UN PEACEKEEPING AND FOREIGN POLICY
While learning about Lester B. Pearson, what I found most remarkable was the role he played in the Suez Crisis and in the birth of UN peacekeeping. When, in 1956, the new nationalistic Egyptian government took control of the Suez Canal, threatening Britain and France and nearly starting a major war, Pearson’s quick thinking helped in averting the crisis. His suggestion to create a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) resulted in armed forces being withdrawn and peace being restored. Pearson’s actions also culminated in the creation of peacekeeping and won him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. Though Pearson was not yet Prime Minister, his 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.
Pearson also met our criteria for handling foreign relations effectively and establishing a distinctly Canadian foreign policy through his reaction toward the war in Vietnam. In April 1965, Pearson held a speech in which he suggested that Americans “rethink their position” on the bombing raids in North Vietnam. Canada also welcomed American protesters and “draft dodgers” (men who evaded compulsory military service), refusing American efforts to force them back into the US. Though Pearson’s actions angered President Johnson, Pearson showed the world that, despite close relations with the US, Canada would remain independent in its foreign policy.
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 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.
THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET
I think Pearson was undeniably Canada’s greatest Prime Minister because of the numerous social programs that he passed which supported all Canadians and improved their overall quality of life. By 1966, Pearson had instituted the Canada Pension Plan for senior citizens as well as Canada Student Loans which offered post-secondary students low-cost loans. Pearson also introduced the 40-hour work week, 2-week vacation time and a new minimum wage. Furthermore, the Canada Assistance Plan offered equal access to welfare for all Canadians. This program signalled the beginning of federal backing for many provincial projects (e.g. child care, health care, employment opportunities, and aid for the disadvantaged). However, I think the most important breakthrough came when Pearson introduced Medicare in 1968; a federal social program that shared the cost of a medical plan, which covered all essential medical services, with each province. This new program took people’s minds off unexpected medical bills and ensured that all Canadians received the health care they needed. In addition, Pearson’s federal government constructed more public-housing facilities throughout the 1960s in order to address the needs of lower-income Canadians.
Through these various programs, Pearson established a social safety net that benefited all Canadians and which still exists today. Pearson definitely met our criteria for furthering Canada socially and the effort he put into improving Canada’s social benefits served to attract many skilled immigrants (which helped Canada economically). In my opinion, the programs he set up made and still make people proud to live in Canada.
THE AUTO PACT
When considering who we thought was the best Canadian Prime Minister, we also had to reflect on how the economy fared during their time in power and what they did to improve business. We found that Pearson also excelled in this area. One of the things he did for the economy was that he signed the Auto Pact in 1965, linking the Canadian and American economies even more closely together. It solved the problem of a trade deficit between Canada and the US in the automobile industry. By signing the agreement, Pearson ensured that the number of cars bought and produced in Canada was equalized. This brought numerous benefits to the Canadian economy and resulted in unemployment falling to its lowest rate in over a decade. Once again, Pearson had brought change and improvement to Canada.
MAINTAINING A UNITED CANADA
The last criteria we had for our top Prime Minister was that he or she maintained national unity in Canada and ensured that all groups were satisfied. During his time as Prime Minister, we felt that Pearson definitely put a lot of effort into meeting the needs of various groups. For example, he spent a lot of time trying to ameliorate French-English tensions in Canada and he supported women’s rights.
Pearson catered to 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 in good graces. The suggestions eventually contributed to French being made an official language of Canada and Prime Ministers generally being bilingual (Pearson had hoped he would be Canada’s last unilingual Prime Minister).
Pearson also introduced a new national flag to replace the Red Ensign. This helped to appease the French-Canadians since the new flag no longer had Britain’s Union Jack on it. Instead, the new Canadian 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 in order to address the concerns of Canadian women and to integrate them more wholly 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. Thus, the 167 recommendations made by the commission and the subsequent laws made by Pearson’s government helped to maintain and expand women’s roles in Canadian society.
Through investigating these initiatives that Pearson instituted, my group and I acknowledged the huge role that Pearson played in uniting different sides of 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.
WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT LESTER B. PEARSON?
Lester B. Pearson, even if you don’t consider him Canada’s greatest Prime Minister, was a very influential person in Canadian history. He had a huge impact on the way that Canadians live their lives today through the various programs his government set up. If not for him instituting Medicare, Canadians would not feel as secure as we do knowing that our essential medical needs will be met without question (in other words, we would feel like the Americans without health insurance feel…). The various other initiatives that he introduced also still benefit Canadians today and give us the high quality of life that is the envy of the world. Furthermore, Pearson is significant because he gave Canadians an identity. He made us peacekeepers, people-lovers, responsible global citizens and polite humanitarians in the eyes of the world. He even gave us the distinct flag that unites Canadians from coast to coast. Though Pearson was in office back in the 1960s, many of the decisions he made and the plans he implemented directly affect Canadians today. For these reasons, we should recognize Pearson as Canada’s greatest Prime Minister and be thankful that he improved our quality of life by so much while also leaving behind a positive legacy for all Canadians to live by.
Works Cited:
“The Gauntlet.” Lester B. Pearson, the Greatest Canadian. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2004. <http://www.thegauntlet.ca/story/lester-b-pearson-greatest-canadian>.
Di Lorenzo, Christopher. “Lester B. Pearson.” Famous Canadians. N.p., 12 Jan. 2013. Web. <http://people.canadiancontent.net/politics/lester-b.-pearson.html>.
Munroe, Susan. “Prime Minister Lester Pearson.” About.com Canada Online. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/primeminister/p/pmpearson.htm>.
Written: Thursday, December 19th, 2013
