Lester B Pearson Biography

What makes a successful leader of a nation? They should be hardworking, insightful, a skilled delegator, and a decision maker who considers their people's perspectives and needs. Lester Bowles “Mike” Pearson, the fourteenth prime minister of Canada, portrayed all these qualities. Most importantly, Pearson augmented the well-being of Canadian society though his accomplishments as the Liberal Party leader, proving him to be one of Canada’s most contributive prime ministers. Between 1963 and 1968, Pearson’s time leading a minority government provided Canada with a better quality of life which developed Canada into one of the strongest “middle powers” in the world (“The Prime Ministers of Canada - Lester B. Pearson Biography”). Lester B. Pearson …show more content…
Creating a flag became a crucial matter due to Canada’s increasing independence from Britain, its need for internal unity between the Anglophones and Francophones, and to protect Canada from “the wrong kind of American penetration” (Levine, Allan) by increasing a sense of national unity. During the Suez Crisis, Egyptian president had disapproved Canadian soldiers in United Nations peacekeeping because Canada’s unofficial flag had displayed the Union Jack, similar to the flag used by British invaders (Quinlan, Don, et al, 226). From this occurrence, Pearson recognized that a national flag was necessary “as the symbol of a new chapter in [Canada’s] national story” in his speech to the House of Commons in February 1965. Although the Maple Leaf Flag seems like an indisputable national symbol today, determining a flag’s design was a topic of great controversy in the 1960s, sparking the Great Flag Debate. Pearson took upon the onerous task of appeasing both the Opposition party leader John Diefenbaker and other British Loyalists, who wanted a symbol of the ‘founding races’ of Canada, and the French-Canadians who refused to accept a flag containing the Union Jack. However, a flag suitable for all Canadians emerged through Pearson’s “genius for compromise” (English 90). The Maple Leaf flag was finally decided, following a 6 month debate in the House of Commons that involved 308 speeches and 5900 submitted flag designs. The chosen flag featured a single maple leaf to represent unity in a simple and traditional manner. The maple leaf had evolved into a treasured symbol of Canada to both Anglophones and Francophones since the early 1800s, appearing often in songs, poems and medals, and making it prime element for Canada’s flag (Matheson, John Ross, and Auguste Vachon). Since then, the Maple Leaf flag has become a great symbol of the Canadian value of unity, tolerance and peace. By creating a flag

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