Mackenzie King was the longest serving Prime Minister of Canada (Neatby, 2005). For many King was a great and effective Prime Minister. But for others, he was ineffective due to his “5 cent speech”, racist behavior and lastly for his strong spiritual beliefs. Therefore this makes William Lyon Mackenzie King to be an ineffective Prime Minister of Canada from the years 1921-1929.
King’s biggest act that clearly shows him to be an unfit and ineffective Prime Minister of Canada was his “5 cent speech”. King made his speech during the 1930s – start of The Great Depression- the speech basically articulates that King would give relief money to only those provinces with Liberal-provincial government, and the speech also states that King won’t give a “5 cent piece” (Chong, 2002) to the provinces with a Conservative provincial government. This shows how he only favors those who support the Liberals, and not the good-will of Canada as a whole. In fact, in the beginning of the Great Depression- when the stock market crashed- he was reluctant to even acknowledge that there was an economic crisis. King believed that the great depression was just a temporary crisis that would solve its self in a matter of time, and that the good times of the 20s would return. King didn’t realize the scale and the severity of the crisis and he let the crisis get out of hand by delaying to take action, but when he finally decided to take action to help the provinces in need. Instead of King helping all who are in need, he decides to choose who he wants to help-provinces with a liberal government. This exclusion of the other provincial governments – conservative- show that King in no means wants to help Canada as a country and this is contrary to what an effective ...
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...Citizendium: http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie_King
Canada in the 20s and 30s. (2014). Retrieved April 14, 2014, from Canada in the 20s and 30s: http://canadainthe20sand30s.wikispaces.com/Leadership+of+William+Lyon+Mackenzie+King+in+the+2%200s%20Citizendium
Canadiana. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2014, from Canadiana: http://www.canadiana.ca/citm/specifique/asian_e.html
Chong, M. R. (2002). Canadian History Since WWI. Retrieved May 19, 2014, from Markville: http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/history/history/fivecent.html
Keefer, D. M. (2009, September 3). The Canadian Charger. Retrieved May 15, 2014, from The Canadian Charger: http://www.thecanadiancharger.com/page.php?id=5&a=115
Neatby, H. B. (2005). KING, WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from Biographi: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/king_william_lyon_mackenzie_17E.html
Tommy Douglas was a remarkable Canadian whose contributions have helped to shape our nation. During his forty two years in politics, Tommy Douglas proved himself to be an outstanding Canadian leader. He is largely responsible for our central banking, old age pensions, unemployment insurance, and our universal medicare. Though he never became Prime Minister, he is highly regarded by the general public. Tommy Douglas was one of the greatest Canadians that ever lived.
Canadian history consists of many memorable moments, including many great leaders that helped Canada become what it is today, like the well-known Louis St. Laurent. He was born on Feb. 1st, 1882 in Compton, Quebec, and died on July 25, 1973 in Quebec City (Coucil, 13). Louis St. Laurent was raised in a mixed family, with a French - speaking father, and English - speaking Irish mother, and was fluently bilingual. He studied many years in law, where he graduated from law school, at Laval University in 1914, and had been a successful corporation lawyer (“St-Stephen, St. Laurent”). Laurent entered politics a lot later in his years, as he became older; however he still managed to have a large impact on Canada, and achieved many accomplishments. Louis St. Laurent was an extremely important, and well-respected politician, because he helped resolve the conscription crisis from 1940-1944 (,Pickersgill,14), and prevented the government and cabinet from collapsing, which would have caused the society to fall apart at the time, he was involved in the establishment of the Canada Council, which introduced support for Canadian arts, to help Canada separate from the influence of American culture (Jocelyn), and lastly he welcomed Newfoundland into confederation in 1949 (“Newfoundland History”), which was a large accomplishment because of the failures Many other politicians experienced in trying to do so before.
Hancock, Pat, and John Mantha. "Canada's twelfth prime minister - Louis Stephen St. Laurent." The kids book of Canadian prime ministers. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1998. 33. Print.
Canada’s Little War. James Lorimer & Company LTD. Toronto [7] Canadians and Conflicts. Edmonton Public School Board [8] Haas. Suzanne. History Television.
“Just watch me.”Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau said in 1970. He meant it as he fought to keep Quebec a part of Canada. Not only did he do that, he managed to be prime minister for 16 years, as well as being Canada’s youngest leader at the time. He brought greater civil rights to Canadians, Quebec citizens mainly. His charismatic personality matched his innovative ideas, that enhanced Canada for the better. For his entire political career, not only did Canada watch him, the whole world watched him change the country for the better. He made a radical change to Canada by championing the idea of officially implementing bilingualism. Trudeau was a trailblazer from the moment he was elected.
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.
Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was a prominent figure in Canada in the 1960s. Pearson was Canada's most significant post WWII prime minister because of his government's many innovations that still benefit Canadians today. He fostered Canadian nationalism, which continues to the present day, promoted equality throughout Canada – equality that now thrives as part of Canada's identity – and he introduced many social services that are still implemented today.
Wilson, J. Bradely Cruxton and W. Douglas. Spotlight Canada Fourth Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000.
The prime minister at that time, Mackenzie King, was unprepared to deal with the crisis at hand. His thoughts were that the depression was only a fluke, and that given time, the economy would prosper once more. King never answered the pleas for aid by his citizens, and told ...
Sir John A. Macdonald was one of Canada's founding fathers. He is most remembered as being Canada's first Prime Minister, running the government from July 1, 1867 until November 5, 1873. Macdonald would become Prime Minister once again on October 17, 1878 and would stay in this position until June 6,1891. While he was leader of the country he faced his own share of political obstacles, including Confederation, the Metis rebellion and threats of an American he is among the greatest leaders Canada has ever seen and played a significant part in the forming of Canada as a country.
The post-war time was a period where major changes were occurring. After being involved in two international conflicts, Canada was ready to reestablish their economy. During this time, Canada had started working on ways to become stronger and reputable. It is evident that Canada had matured through the post-war era. Canada’s economic progress left a positive impact on the growth of the country as consumerism became popular, and economic ties with America became stronger. Moreover, the removal of racial and ethical barriers contributed to Canadian social affairs such as the huge wave of immigration and the baby boom. The Canadian government also had become more aware and involved in issues impacting Canadian citizens. Canada as a whole started identifying itself as an independent nation and participating in events that brought a positive reputation amongst them. These economical, social, and legal changes helped Canada mature into the country it is today.
The horrors of racial profiling during World War II had always seemed to be distant to many Canadians, yet Canada was home to several xenophobic policies that were a violation of many rights and freedoms. One of the cruelest instances of this was the Japanese Canadian internment. At the time, the government justified the internment by claiming that the Japanese Canadians were a threat to their national defense, but evidence suggests that it had nothing to do with security. The government made illogical decisions in response to the mass panic and agitation in British Columbia. To aggravate the situation, Prime Minister William Mackenzie King reacted passively to these decisions, as it was not in his best interests to be involved. Moreover,
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
even his opponents admitted "there does not exist in Canada a man who has given
...n of their cabinet, while others may choose to create a new political path without consulting the views of their party. Mellon thinks that the Canadian government is under dictatorial scrutiny, whereas Barker contradicts this belief. The idea of a prime-ministerial government is certainly an over exaggeration of the current state of Canada. There are too many outside and inside forces that can control the powers the Prime Minister of Canada. Furthermore, there are several outside sources that indicate a good government in Canada. The United Nations annually places Canada at the top, or near the top of the list of the world’s best countries in which to live. These outcomes are not consistent with the idea of a one ruler power. Canada is not ruled by one person’s ideas, suggestions, and decisions, but by government approved and provincially manipulated decisions.