Who was John Diefenbaker?
John Diefenbaker was born in 1895 in Neustadt, Ontario, and grew up on the Saskatchewan prairies. He served in World War I, then built a name as a criminal defence lawyer in Prince Albert. Voters sent him to Ottawa in 1940, and the party chose him as leader in 1956. The next year the Liberals lost power after 22 years. In 1958 he took the biggest majority, measured in share of seats, that any federal government in Canada has won. A split over nuclear weapons brought the government down in 1963. He stayed in the Commons as an MP until he died in 1979.
Political views
- He wanted an 'unhyphenated nation' where people of every origin and religion were treated the same.Source: en.wikipedia.org
- Beginning in 1946 he argued for a written bill of rights covering worship, speech and association. The Canadian Bill of Rights became law in 1960.Source: biographi.ca
- His government gave First Nations and Inuit people the federal vote, and he put Ellen Fairclough in cabinet as the first woman there.Source: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
- He strongly rejected apartheid, and his stand helped lead to South Africa leaving the Commonwealth in 1961.Source: en.wikipedia.org
- He pledged that 15 per cent of Canada's trade would shift from American to British partners.Source: biographi.ca
- He agreed to base American Bomarc missiles in Canada, then wavered on fitting them with nuclear warheads and was slow to act in the Cuban missile crisis.Source: biographi.ca
- In 1964 he led the fight against the Maple Leaf flag, saying it lacked historic symbols.Source: biographi.ca
Legacy
Admirers see a champion of ordinary citizens and minority rights. They say his Bill of Rights pointed toward the 1982 Charter. They also note that Indigenous people got the federal vote under him, that he named the first woman in cabinet and the first Indigenous senator, and that he opposed apartheid. His populist style also broke Liberal control of the West. Critics point to indecision, to the 1959 end of the Avro Arrow fighter, after which Avro let go 14,000 workers, and to a muddled approach to nuclear arms and to President Kennedy that split his cabinet and ended his government. His fight against the new flag and against two-nation ideas also pushed many Quebecers away.