Chapter 7 !

Competing Visions of Canada!

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Dief ‘the Chief’!
The Conservatives Take Power!
• 1957 – tired of the Liberals – Diefenbaker took the conservatives to a
whole new energetic level!
• Denounced Liberals’ old age pension as insufficient, called for a National
policy to develop the North and get at resources, addressed economic
challenges that faced the Atlantic provinces – not conservative in spending
money, and willing to spend on other social programs!
• Largest majority in Canadian history – 208 of the 265 seats!
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The Bill of Rights!
• Scottish decent – first one not strictly French or British!
• Influential in desire to protect human rights in Canada – became federal
law without becoming entrenched in the Constitution because all of the
provinces would not agree (lacked authority in provincial courts)!
• 1960 – right to be free from discrimination by race, nationality, colour,
religion or sex !
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Extending Voting Rights!
• Saw first hand widespread discrimination against Aboriginal Peoples in
Canada – when he came into office they could still not vote!
• If they wanted to vote they had to give up their status – for most, it was too
high a price to pay for full rights of citizenship!
• 1960 – Diefenbaker extended voting rights without them having to give up
their status – 100 years after becoming a country its first inhabitants were
finally granted all the rights of their colonizers!
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New Immigration Policies!
• Traditionally favoured Britain, US and France – immigrants from southern
Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean were limited or prohibited !
• 1962 – on the surface they eliminated racial discrimination from
immigration policies by lifting quotas to all to come – HOWEVER,
discrimination still existed in the biggest category of immigration –
Sponsorship (families supporting their families coming to Canada)!
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Economic and Foreign Policy Woes!
Economic Realities !
• Following WWII unemployed was incredibly low – 1957 it increased to 7%!
• Recession hit – Diefenbaker tried cutting taxes and increasing spending!
• Clashed with James Coyne (head of the Bank of Canada) – he was more
interested with fighting inflation rather than unemployment and wanted to
keep interest rates high – NO foreign investment!
• 1960 prominent economists demanded Coyne be removed from the bank!
• Canadian dollar falling on international money markets – dollar dropped
from $1.05 to $0.96 – the government set our dollar at $0.925!
• The decline in our dollar made goods and services less expensive for
foreign markets – gave a huge boost to the economy but reduced the
public’s perception of Diefenbaker’s government!
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Canada and the US!
• After WWII our ally was the US – linked by geography and economy and
significant military agreements (NATO and NORAD)!
• Middle power? US puppet? Nationalism?!
• Avro Arrow?!
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The Cuban Missile Crisis!
o 1959 – Castro overthrew the horribly abusive dictatorship of Batista
in Cuba – led to his communist government (allied itself with the
Soviet Union)!
o When Castro took Cuba his first order of business was to
nationalized ALL industry – that policy sent all US businesses that
had been making millions since the Platt Amendment was
introduced back home to the US with NOTHING!
o Canada refused to cut ties with Cuba - frustrated the US!
o 1962 the US government learned the Soviets were storing nuclear
weapons on Cuban soil – proven with aerial photos the US now
had a choice – nuclear war or blockade!
o Placed a blockade around Cuba and waited for Soviets ships –
came down to a game of chicken – the Soviets turned around and
went home and the American’s stood their ground!
o Diefenbaker would not put our forces on alert until very late in the
conflict – strained American-Canadian relations!
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The Liberals Return to Power!
Canadian-American Relations!
• 1963 – Pearson formed a Liberal minority (41% of the popular vote)!
• Marked the beginning of better relations with the US – Pearson had a
relaxed friendship with JFK !
• Pearson agreed to accept nuclear warheads for the Bomarc Missiles as
part of our commitment to NATO, station Canadian troops with NATO!
• Relations would soon sour again when Kennedy gets shot and Johnson
takes over as president in 1963!
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! The Vietnam War!
o Americans supported the South Vietnamese government against
the North Communists (originally to help French forces)!
o President Johnson (after JKF’s assassination) stepped into Vietnam
full force in 1964 – hundreds of thousands of soldiers and a
bombing campaign called ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’!
o Pearson urged them to halt bombing – allowing for peace?!
o Johnson scolded Pearson for publically criticizing him – angry
confrontation lasted an hour and at one point Johnson grabbed his
lapels – afterwards them pretended nothing happened – two
leaders never recovered!
o Vietnam became more dire – thousands of men came to Canada to
escape the draft – and the television began showing the true
horrors of war!
o War ended in 1975 – retreat of American forces and the defeat of
South Vietnam by the North !
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The Auto Pact!
• 1950s-1960s were boom years for Canada’s auto industry – huge sales,
new highway construction, creation of the suburbs – most cars bought
from the US and charged tariffs – Canadians paying up to 30% more for
an American made car!
• Auto Pact (1965) – Canadian could now buy cars at lower prices – flow of
parts was easier and it protected thousands of jobs for Canadian auto
workers!
• The deal was good for the Canadian economy BUT it kept all power in the
hands of the big three – GM, Chrysler and Ford!
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Redefining Canada !
Social Safety Net – Pearson!
1. Canada Pension Plan!
2. Royal Commission of the Status of Women!
3. Public Health Care (Federal government gave 50%)!
4. Temporary hold on Capital Punishment (abolished in 1976)!
5. Labour Laws – min. wage, 8 hour work day, vacation pay!
Expo ‘67!
• Canada turned 100 – the Centennial Train toured the country with displays
of our history and culture!
• Centerpiece was EXPO’67 (world’s fair) in Montreal – 50 million visitors!
• Many world leaders visited Montreal – De Gaulle (President of France) –
supported Quebec’s separation – seen as a slap in the face of
government – Pearson refused to meet and sent him home to France!
• Pride – coming of age success!
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Quebec and Canada!
The Quiet Revolution!
• Generation of political and religious leaders had fought to protect French
culture by embracing French-Canadian traditions!
• Favoured rural over urban, religion over the states and isolationism over
engagement with the wider world!
• Maurice Duplessis (premier of Quebec) – led the Union Nationale –
allowed English business owners to run Quebec - lost the election to the
Liberals in 1960!
• Jean Lesage promised to end corruption and patronage – began the
‘Quiet Revolution’!
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The Transformation of Quebecois Society!
• Lesage urged Quebec people to become ‘Masters of their own House’ –
government helped establish stronger French presence in the province’s
economy – created the publically owned Hydro-Quebec !
• Investment into Quebecois business initiatives – creation of the French
Language Office to promote in business!
• Province took control of social services – restricted role of Catholic Church
– improve health care, government departments to oversees cultural
affairs, education reform – created CEGEP (2 year university prep)!
• Demanded more powers from Federal government – levy taxes, opt out of
some federal programs, withdrew from federal pension plan!
• Artists began to capture nationalism in their work!
• They wanted special status, more power, more control – some even
wanted a completely separate nation!
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Terrorism Comes to Canada!
• A few separatists were impatient and chose to work for change outside of
the law – bombings and kidnappings were to follow!
• 1963 – FLQ launched a campaign of terror in Quebec – first with bombs in
mailboxes in Westmount (affluent area – mostly English) – over 200
violent acts that killed several people!
• Exploded bombs at the Montreal Stock Exchange and McGuill University –
by 1970 23 members of the FLQ were in jail – but the most violence was
yet to come!
Aboriginal Peoples in Canada!
First Nation Peoples!
• 1960s – Aboriginal peoples began to demand their rights – gained the
right to vote – but did little to improve the social and economic conditions !
• High levels of poverty, illness and other major social problems!
• 1964 – Pearson implemented committee to investigate social, economic,
political and educational needs of Aboriginal peoples!
• 1966 – Hawthorn Report condemned assimilation of Aboriginal peoples –
a position opposite to 100 years of Canadian governmental policy!
• Recommended that they have ‘citizenship plus’ – all rights Canadians
have plus the rights of treaties negotiated – Department of Indian Affairs
was supposed to be their to ensure economic and social equity!
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Cultural Revival!
• Art plays a huge role in traditional societies – family history, spiritual
beliefs, tools, clothing!
• Few artists were left to carry on with the skills and traditions - political
activism was married to a resurgence in Aboriginal culture – they began
teaching themselves what had been lost!
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Changing Times!
The Status of Women!
• Beginning of the decade men were primary wage earners – few
occupations for women (nurses, teachers, secretaries)!
• Received lower wages for doing the same work – unequal in all life –
social, political, legal and cultural!
• 1960s – women began to fight back, birth control gave them more power
over reproductive choices – campaigned to end discrimination back on
sex!
• Fought for equal pay, paid maternity leave, end to the glass ceiling – also
to end sexual exploitation and establishment of rape crisis centers and
homes for battered women!
• 1966 – Committee for the Equality of Women (CEW) – came up with 167
recommendations from all over the world!
o Created the National Action Committee on the Status of Women!
o Federal Cabinet post – Status of Women!
o Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women!
o Statutes created to eliminate discrimination!
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The Emergence of Counterculture!
• Canadian folk music – revival of coffee houses – social commentary!
• Began to protest to use music to address the major issues of the day!