Lester Bowles “Mike” Pearson

Canada’s 14th Prime MinisterApril 1963 – April 1968

participated in...◦ Washington Naval Conference (1930)◦ Geneva World Disarmament Conference (1933-1934)◦ London Naval Conference (1935)

involved in negotiations leading to formation of UN Canada’s ambassador in UN leader of Liberal party Essential leader in creating Canada’s image as a trusted ally, humanitarian and peacekeeping nation Created Canadian Flag

Mr. Lester B. Pearson

1949 – North Atlantic Treaty Organization is established. 1951-52 – Serves as chairman of NATO Council. 1952 – Elected president of Seventh Session, UN General

Assembly. 1956 – Examines NATO. Introduces the critical peacekeeping

resolution for the Suez Crisis. 1957 – Wins Nobel Peace Prize. 1958 – Elected Leader of Liberal Party 1962 – Proposes bilingualism commission. Liberals win 99 seats in

election. 1963 – Elected April 8 with a minority government. 1964 – Canada Pension Plan negotiated. 1965 – Liberals are re-elected and the Maple Leaf Flag is created. 1966 – Medicare 1968 – Retires in April. (In power for 5 years.)

Timeline of Key Events

Domestic Political Ideologies

Canada’s most successful & respected Foreign diplomat Instrumental in creating Canada’s image as a trusted ally/ humanitarian/ peacekeeping nation

Domestic plans significantly influenced by early career as a diplomat and soldier Internationalism and domestic policy as opposites

Outward-looking nation and ended provincial rivalries Defined Canadian culture

POLITICAL POLICIES PURPOSE

• “universality”

• improve the relations between the United States and Canada

•end provincial rivalries (Quebec V.S Canada); that defined national political culture

• all citizens promised equal access to education, welfare & healthcare

•government intervention to improve lives of average Canadian citizens

Domestic Policies: Political

Social Welfare Programs

Cut military spending and put money towards social programs

Canada Student Loan Program (1964)

Provided loans to students registered in university/ technical schools

Government acted as guarantor of the loans

Canada Pension Plan (1965) (updated)

Improved existing old-age pension plan Permitted provinces to establish own plans with federal

support Many companies did not have pensions for workers

therefore the companies expanded and extended pension plan to majority

Medical Care Act (1966)

Universal healthcare Allowed federal government to provide more funding to

poorer provinces There were protests due to the cost of universal health

care however it was popular among the citizens

Canada’s racially-open immigration policy (1960’s)

European immigration decreased Canadian government encouraged immigration from India

and Hong Kong Introduced points-based system which further encouraged

immigration (systems similarly still used today)

Domestic Economic Policies

Wanted to develop an economic and military relationship with the US

Soviet takeover in Europe affected the world market◦ Canadian – European economic ties destroyed (Britain =

bankrupt)

Pearson pursued 3 major changes to reassure the economy:1. Strengthen UN by preventing its involvement in

International Crises (Palestine, Korea)2. Auto Pact with the economically strong US3. Socio-economically inspired pact to balance US power

NATO

Cold War Economy

Canada-US Automotive Agreement Free trade agreement of automobiles, tires, auto parts across

border Impacted Canada greatly, as it gave more job opportunities

and established payment equity Main Purposes:

◦ Reduce duplication reduce production cost◦ Reduce cost increase consumption

Effective◦ Car prices dropped consumption increased◦ 1965: 70 000 workers 1978: 125 000 workers◦ Ontario, closely located to the US, benefitted from transportation

routes and accessibility to production centres ◦ It essentially allowed the Liberals to gain domestic support

Auto Pact: Dec. 11, 1964

Military spending in the 1950s and mid 1960s were large because: ◦ 25 000 fought in Korean War◦ 120 000 in the military◦ 10 000 stationed permanently in Europe due to NATO

Glassco Commission in 1963 reports that military spending was wasteful Pearson reduces military to 20 000 under the Minister of Defence

This would provide more from the budget towards social programs

Military Spending

An International ManPearson’s legacy continues for his outstanding contributions and development to Canada’s foreign policy

NATO

United Nations Department of External Affairs

Suez Crisis Nobel Peace Prize

Middle Power

Food and Agriculture Organization

International Monetary Fund World Health Organization

Palestine, 1947 UK had mandate over Palestine:1947 end mandate UNGA’s Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) Resolution:divide the territory but still allow freedom of transport

and economic ties: ◦ Arab state◦ Jewish state◦ Jerusalem

Arabs opposition Pearson strived for a clearly defined implementation of the partition

◦ Four nations worked carefully on the partition plan which was finalized on Nov. 29, 1947

Medallion of Valour for creating Israel

UN Peacekeeping/ Peacemaking

◦ Responsible throughout for resolving conflict between North and South Korea that the US was involved in

◦ UN was to provide immediate military to repel invasion ◦ Highlights the effectiveness of collective action against

aggression strengthening UN’s role

Korean War

“Nothing before or after was as momentous for him. In his long, eventful public life, Suez was his signature.” – Historian Andrew Cohen

Crisis followed the creation of Israel and Arab neighbours Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the Suez Canal Company on July

26, 1956 October 29, 1956, Israelis attacked Egypt with the help from Britain and France Canada was asked to support in this attack, which angeredPearson immensely as he thought it was:

◦ “immoral”◦ “impractical”◦ “incendiary”

Suez Crisis

Britain and France vetoed US request for ceasefire and withdrawal of troops in the UN

At the UNGA where the resolution of ceasefire was being discussed, Pearson expressed that it was:

“A moderate proposal couched in reasonable and objective terms, without unfair or unbalanced condemnation" but “It does not provide for any steps to be taken by the United

Nations for a peace settlement, without which a cease-fire will be of only temporary value at best... What then, six months

from now? Are we to go through all this again?”

UN Emergency Force cease-fire must be monitored and prepared to lead to political settlement

Pearson’s Resolution: Passed 57 – 0 with 19 absent◦ Separated combatants end violence◦ UK and France could withdraw without being forced to by the UN

Nobel Peace Prize, 1957◦ Suez Crisis

Geoffrey Pearson wrote, “Success in diplomacy, like success in other fields of public policy, depends on a combination of three main factors -- timing, experience, and personality.”

Pearson’s New World Order Served with Canadian Army Medical Corps Watched the deterioration of the League of Nations after

World War 1

Success

FOREIGN POLICIES

WHAT HE DID...

Canada’s role in NATO

- 120 000 CDN forces in Korean War (commitment in NATO) - Prior to being PM; held high-ranking position in foreign affairs e.g. Chair of Canada’s NATO delegation

Canada as Middle Power

- two superpowers left little room for Canada to voice opinions in international affairs, relations and etc. - Canada caught in America's orbit (did whatever the Americans did)- wanted Canada to be "an independent force of peacekeeping and goodwill"- his sending of UN Emergency Force to Suez won him the Nobel Peace Prize & established Canada's independent role on the world stage

FOREIGN POLICIES WHAT HE DID...

Canada’s role in the World Bank

- Canada participated in the 1944 Bretton Woods conference that led to the creation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and formally joined both organizations in 1945.-target: poverty reduction in the developing world-expands Canada's impact on poverty reduction and sustainable development worldwide-wanted to close the gap between the rich and poor in other nations - “Partners in Development”

“I accepted because I believe no problem to be more important to the future of the world.”

World Bank

1928 – 1948 Scored highest and appointed first secretary Successful – easy-going, friendly, earned

respect and trust Minister of External Affairs 1948 – 1957 Met with UN Created the first United Nations Peace-Keeping Force Made of Canadian troops

◦ ended Suez crisis

Department of External Affairs

Set up after WW2 for a better world Pearson there from the start and started

working on it in 1942 Canadian representative Est’d in 1943 & became Chairman of

Subcommittee for Displaced Persons

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA)

Deeply interested in future of nuclear energy Canada supplied uranium and laboratory

research to USA and UK Very involved in Combined Policy Committee

(CPC) Oversaw the working of bi-lateral agreement

collaboration in use of of nuclear energy (nuclear info exchange, int’l control, technical collaborations)

Atomic Bomb Conference, Washington, Nov. 12-15, 1945

Atomic Energy Collaboration and Agreements

ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) ICAO (International Civil Agency) FAO (Food Agriculture Organization) WHO (World Health Organization) IMF (International Monetary Funds)

Other Foreign Involvement

Assess the effectiveness of Pearson’s contributions to

Canada’s foreign involvement based on the following sources and your own

knowledge.

The Ottawa Citizen Newspaper (November 7, 1984) “Middle Power”

(Spicer, Keith. A return to Pearsonian Diplomacy. The Ottawa Citizen. 7,

November 1984.)

Source A

Comment by Mackenzie King (PM from 1935 - 1948)

“He [Pearson] likes keeping Canada at the head of everything, in the

forefront in connection with UN affairs.”

(Lester B. Pearson by Andrew Cohen)

Source B

Autobiography of Lester B. Pearson

"From the Korean experience we have, I hope, learned some lessons. One is that collective action against aggression can work, even when that action is incomplete, in organization, support and participation. Korea has been a vindication of the principle of collective action, but even more, it has shown what could be done if all members of the United Nations were willing, collectively, to pay the price to make such action effective."

(Mike: The Memoirs of the Rt. Hon. Lester B. Pearson, Volume 2, 1948-1957)

Source C

Historiography: Pearsonian Diplomacy

“Pearsonian Diplomacy has come to mean a modus operandi. Pearson had a capacity for cooling off a situation, as he tried to do in Korea. He also had an instinct for creating a middle way, as he did with India and the Commonwealth in 1949, another one of those intractable conflicts... In Kashmir in 1950, though, he knew to stay away; the issue was insoluble, and he has no appetite for lost causes. In Hungary, in 1956, he knew not to try to replicate his success at Suez, because that would be considered overreaching for a country of Canada’s size. As Denis Stairs points out, Pearson knew the limits. You could have influence, on a good day, but you shouldn’t expect it everyday.”

(Lester B. Pearson by Andrew Cohen)

Source D

Foreign Policy Effectively Contributed to Domestic Policies

- Gave Canada more recognition in pursuing National identity

- Strong role with the UN Canada becoming a Middle Power

- Suez crisis helped strengthen the foundation of our domestic policy through Internationnal involvement (economically, socially, politically)

Foreign Policy Ineffectively Contributed to Domestic Policies- Criticize that he may be neglecting domestic affairs

Answer/ Conclusion