Lester Pearson

Defining Canada

Lester Pearson

Lester Pearson left a lasting legacy on Canada; it was during his tenure as Prime Minister when Canada adopted its own official flag, universal healthcare was applied on a national level, the Canada Pension Plan was negotiated and the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism were created. However, perhaps his greatest achievement came before he was Prime Minister, when he won Canada's only Nobel Peace Prize. Through his accomplishments Lester Pearson not only left a great legacy in Canada but a great legacy in the world.

Lester Bowles Pearson was born in Newtonbrook, Ontario on April 23, 1897, his father a Methodist preacher. During World War I he left his studies at the University of Toronto to join the Royal Flying Corps in England. After being hit by a bus in London, he returned to Canada completing a degree and then teaching History. His journey into politics began when he joined a new government department in 1927, the Department of External Affairs. During his twenty-year career in the department, Pearson served in the Canadian High Commission in Britain, the Canadian Embassy in the United States and served as the Canadian Ambassador to the United States as well as leading Canada into joining NATO and attending the conference that created the United Nations in 1945. In 1948, newly elected to Parliament as a Liberal, Pearson became a member of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent's cabinet as Minister of External Affairs. During his time as Minister he served as Canada's primary diplomat abroad and served as President of the UN General Assembly in 1952.

In 1956, still as Minister of External Affairs, Pearson left perhaps his greatest legacy. The Suez Crisis in 1956 was a conflict between Egypt and Israel and involving the British and French against the Egyptians and had the world in danger of falling into another war. Pearson, in a United Nations meeting introduced the idea of an international peacekeeping force to oversee the withdrawal of the participants. The UN agreed to the proposal and the peacekeeping force was led by Canadian troops. For his role in the creation of the peacekeeping troops Pearson was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. As father of the modern peacekeeping movement, Lester Pearson has left a lasting legacy not just on Canada but the entire world. Since 1957, the UN has used peacekeeping forces in many different world conflicts and other situations. Additionally, peacekeeping has had a large impact in shaping Canadian values, as it has become a large part of Canada's foreign policy and Canada has had a very significant role in most UN peacekeeping operations. The importance peacekeeping has had on Canada is epitomized by the fact Canada was the first nation in the world to have a national monument built for peacekeepers, which is located on Sussex Drive in Ottawa. As well, several provinces and cities across Canada have started to celebrate a Peacekeepers' Day (August 9) and the Peacekeepers' Park was created in Calgary.

In 1958 Pearson became leader of the Liberal Party, the opposition party at the time. In 1963, the Liberals won the election and Pearson became the Prime Minister of Canada in a minority government, a position he held until he retired in 1968. Despite never holding a majority government Pearson was still able to accomplish many impressive feats. Pearson fought for and achieved in bringing in universal healthcare for all Canadians, and establishing the Canadian Pension Plan. These two things have shaped Canada immensely and are often seen by Canadians as the some of the greatest values and accomplishments of the country. Additionally, under Pearson old age pension payments, veteran's allowances, and extended family allowances were all increased, also, interest free student loans were established to provide better opportunity for young Canadians to further their education. Additionally, during Pearson's term the Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism was created and is what led to government services in being offered in both English and French and allowed for French Canadians to serve in upper levels of government. Pearson also introduced the Royal Commission on the Status