William Lyon Mackenzie King once said “It is what we prevent, rather than what we do that counts;” although he may have sought truth in his statement, there were numerous occasions where he didn’t abide by it, and his actions contradicted his morals. King represented Canada in the role of a dominant political figure (that is, the Prime Minister back in the years 1926-30 and 1935-48) with a reign lasting longer than any other to this date. Since then, King’s time as prime minister has stirred up controversy towards the topic of whether or not he was an effective leader for those 21 years. While King undoubtedly had his accomplishments, the damage he inflicted upon our country significantly outweighs his successes. His campaign may have been …show more content…
British Columbia at the time had a large population of Japanese-Canadians and feared that those of them who worked in the fishing industry were charting the coastlines for the Japanese navy; since British Columbia is on the coastline of the Pacific they felt vulnerable because they were easily susceptible to enemy attacks from Japan. It was common for countries at the time to question the loyalty of the citizens of a different ethnic origin, however Canada under King’s rule took the safety precautions to a whole other level. February 1942, Prime Minister Mackenzie King issued an evacuation of all Japanese-persons, and ordered that they be taken to internment camps where they were kept like animals in stalls and forced to do manual labour at cheated wages. 20, 881 Japanese, 13, 309 of which were born in Canada (so majority would have no reason to be loyal to Japan over Canada) were taken to internment camps, forced out of their homes, had their property sold at auctions, and were stripped of their rights. King interned these innocent Japanese-Canadians over a speculation that they were spies, without having any evidence to support his claims. Following the war, once it …show more content…
During the time between January 30th, 1933 when Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany and harshly persecuted the Jews (led to the murder of 6,000,000 Jews) to May 8th, 1945 when World War II ended and Germany was defeated, the Jewish were fleeing their country, many turning to Canada to escape the horrors of Nazi Germany. At the time Canada definitely lived an anti-sematic lifestyle, and with the immigration minister Fredrick Blair (remembered for his race-based immigration policies) in his authoritative position, along with hate groups widespread across the country, ensured that the Jewish refugees didn’t make it into Canada. Although King often just went along with what the people wanted (not always a good aspect, eventually you need to step up and take leadership), he frequently sympathized with the Jews and advised that they should consider letting them in. However, King allowed the immigration minister to sway/ influence his views, and ended up ignoring the plea of the Jewish. King couldn’t find it in his heart to make the necessary, authoritative stand to force the matter of allowing these victims of abuse and discrimination into our country. In fact, King was so influenced by the anti-Semitism as he didn’t often stray from the norm, that when a scarce amount of Jews
of Canada's greatest prime ministers. Some might say that he was a good or bad leader, but that is all in
Trudeau was strongly devoted to a strain of individualism based on the Catholic principle of personalism and was committed to human rights. He condemned the character of nationalism and argued in favour of federalism as the ultimate form of organization. The strength of Trudeau’s personality and his determination to transform Canada lead him to defend a ‘rational messianism” founded on the idea that Canada had the moral responsibility to defeat Quebec nationalism (Monsterrat, 36) .Many Anglophone Canadians greeted Trudeau’s proposals of a new pan-Canadian identity that would strengthen Canadian unity. Trudeau offered a new image of Canada at a time when British connection had weakened as a result of the disassembly of the British Empire.
The initial reaction to Pearl Harbor was to take cautious emergency actions to avert civil unrest. Soon, the Canadian government passed the War Measures Act. It gave permission to intern all undesirable Japanese, tie up every Japanese-owned fishing boat in British Columbia, close all Japanese language schools, forbid the publishing of newspapers in Japanese, and seize all Japanese property. All of which were subsequently carried out. In 1941, there were twenty-three thousand five hundred Japanese persons in Canada, residing mainly on the coast of British Columbia. Of that, six thousand seven hundred were Canadian born, seven thousand were naturalized citizens, and the rest were nationals of Japan. However, nothing could make any difference. To the typical, white British Columbian, the Japanese were all lower-class citizens. Five hours after the attack on Pearl Harbour, forty-eight Japanese planes bombed Hong Kong where two Canadian battalions were stationed, and were inflicted with heavy casualties. The “problem” of the resident Japanese in British Columbia was then quickly set into the mainstream focus. Prior to declaring war on Japan, Mackenzie King had stated that the “enemy country” had “wantonly and treacherously” attacked British territory, and that “Japan’s actions [were] a threat to the defence and freedom of Canada.”
There was a great amount of people who wanted to help the refugees especially those with a German descent. Many thought that Canada should try and help as many Jewish refugees as they could because of how poorly they have been treated by their own country. Others thought that there was no excuse for Canada to refuse Jewish refugees to come because they were not asking for a lot. And others supported emigration of Jewish refugees because of how brutal their living conditions were in
Canada has had many prime ministers that have contributed and held back Canada in shaping Canada’s identity over the past century however nobody has came close to helping as Mackenzie king who protected Canada during world war 2, brought Canada through the great depression with industrialization, and he helped create national unity and independence. Canada would not be the same country it is today without the fine leading of mackenzie king.
“The choice, however, is as clear now for nations as it was once for the individual: peace or extinction. ” 1 and Lester B. Pearson was definitely a man of peace. To those who don’t know who Lester B. Pearson is, he’s the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada, that served from April 22. 1963 - April 20. 1968 2. During his time as Prime Minister, he’s accomplished many things, and that’s why I believe that Lester B. Pearson is the greatest Canadian.
Canada is presently known for welcoming many racial groups into the country. However, the Canadian government is not always giving out warm welcomes to different ethnicities. During World War Two, the country rejects many Japanese and Italians who are already Canadian. The treatment of the Japanese and Italians in the Second World War is very unjust. The two groups face being put into internment camps against their own will, the government separates families and force men to work on farms with little pay. The government of Canada also mistreat the Japanese and Italian Canadians because they are full of fear and superstition.
Unforgettable actions that will always be remembered in honour of Mackenzie King, which made him such a great leader. In my opinion William Lyon Mackenzie King showed that he was an effective leader through his duty of being Canada's 10th Prime Minister for 29 years. King made huge impacts on many lives and both world wars in being Canada's best Prime Minister. Mackenzie King did many effective actions throughout his years of being Prime Minister, however three events stood out the most. King showed that he was an effective leader because he created crown corporations, had a dream to start the British Commonwealth Air Training Program and created Unemployment Insurance for people who needed it. Not only did he serve the longest time as Canada's Prime Minister but he successfully affected many lives.
As a nation, Canada is known to the rest of the world for being thoughtful, polite, and generally very accepting of all ethnicities and people. However, the treatment of Canada’s Indigenous population, Japanese Canadians, African American and Indigenous slaves seems to suggest otherwise. Canada's dark past may not be talked about often, but there are three main events that targeted specific ethnic groups which still affect those people today. Residential Schools led to major negative cultural consequences, as well as psychological and sociological effects. Japanese-Canadian Internment Camps were used to strip Japanese Canadians of their rights because of the World War II bombing of Pearl Harbor. And finally, for two centuries slavery was legal in New France, and in Lower Canada under British rule. Human beings were being held captive and were owned by many people, including governors, bishops, military officers, priests, and blacksmiths. All of these terrible consequences can be accredited to Canada’s imperialistic policies.
As one of the Canada’s greatest leaders, Pierre Elliot Trudeau brought change that would change Canada forever in a positive manner. Although it can be argued that Trudeau’s behavior was outlandish and informal at times, it could be considered charismatic, however, his behavior to politics was superior. He was inspired to change Canada and make it a better place to live. He did so by implying the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, multiculturalism, and using laws to make Canada a better place. Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s actions changed Canada for the better.
A great Prime Minister should always do what is right for Canada, no matter what obstacles he or she faces. Looking at the fifteen years he was in power, Pierre Elliot Trudeau did exactly that. For instance, he implemented the Official Languages Act and made bilingualism law. In another case, he put an end to the October Crisis by putting into effect the War Measures Act. Finally, Trudeau amended the Constitution which gave Canadians a Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Pierre Elliot Trudeau was a successful Prime Minister who accomplished his goals despite facing enormous opposition.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.
Throughout Canadian history, a plenty of figures appeared to be significant for the time being. However, out from this great number of candidates that may qualify for the most important Canadian in history, William Lyon Mackenzie King prevails. First elected in 1921 after the Borden's Unionist government failed, Mackenzie King served as the longest serving Canadian head of government ever, holding the office of prime minister for 22 years. During his premiership, Canada developed from an attacked British colony to a major international player, building cornerstones for the golden age of Canadian diplomacy. His war policy made Canada an important contributor in the Allied forces during the World War II, giving supports for British and other
Opposing the belief that a dominating leader is running Canada, Barker brings up several key realities of the Canadian government. He gives examples of several “… instances of other ministers taking action that reveal the limits prime-ministerial power,” (Barker 178). Barker conveys the fact that Canada is not bound by a dictatorial government, “…it seems that the prime minister cannot really control his individual ministers. At times, they will pursue agendas that are inconsistent with the prime minister’s actions,” (Barker 181). Both inside and outside government are a part of Canada and they can remind the prime minister that “…politics is a game of survival for all players,” (Barker 188). Barker refutes the misinterpretation of the Canadian government by acknowledging that a prime-ministerial government existing in Canada is an overstatement.
The period of 1914 to 1939, Canada’s immigration policy got very unfair. Changes were made to the Immigration Act in 1914 that allowed the rejection of anyone from any race that was deemed