"By the accident of geography and history we find ourselves squarely between the two greatest powers on earth. We have no fortresses facing either. We want to live at peace with our northern neighbours, as we have lived so long at peace with our southern neighbours."
- September 26, 1960, speech to the United Nations.
In responding to two men of great life experiences in a previous post, they helped to jiggle-joggle my memory of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.
It is oft asserted Canadian politics is boring but Dief the Chief was anything but. As leader of the Conservative party with strong populist impulses, Diefenbaker was responsible for Canada's Bill of Rights, called a Royal Commission on Health Services, was committed to enhancing Canadian arts and culture and was one of the few people to stand against the internment of Japanese-Canadians.
A man known for holding deep convictions with high ethical standards, he was nonetheless a controversial figure. Most memorable was his decision to mysteriously cancel the Avro Arrow Project - Canada's greatest military achievement -which remains a mystery for some reason.
And if I remember well he introduced bilingual banknotes and government cheques and started the drive to bilingualism without ever mentioning it. He understood french but his accent was horrible.
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