1895 (Ontario) - John George Diefenbaker was born.
1903 (Saskatchewan) – His family moved.
Diefenbaker graduated from university then went on to serve in the Canadian army during WW1.
Upon his return to Canada he practiced law.
He unsuccessfully ran several elections.
1940 – He was elected to the House of Commons as a member of the Conservative Party.
1942 - His party was in Opposition when he criticized the government’s actions regarding the Japanese Canadians.
1948 – He opposed the attempt made by his own party to outlaw the Communist Party of Canada.
1956 – He became the new leader of the Conservative Party.
1957 – He came to power at the head of a minority government.
1958 – Diefenbaker’s Conservative Party won a large majority of the seats in Parliament.
1962 – The Conservative Party only manages a minority win again.
1963 – The Conservatives were defeated by the Liberals.
1979 - Diefenbaker died but held a seat in Parliament until the very end.
Accomplishments:
He appointed Ellen Fairclough as the first woman to the federal cabinet.
1958 - The first Aboriginal-Canadian senator, James Gladstone, was also appointed by Diefenbaker.
Diefenbaker was an essential contributor in initiating the Commonwealth’s opposition to the apartheid rule in South Africa.
He was also a major supporter to former colonies in the British Empire when they endeavored to become independent nations.
He could be quite obstinate when it came to relations involving other countries. In fact, it was because of his rejection to aid the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 that he was defeated in the election of 1963.
1959 – The cancellation of the Avro Arrow was also Diefenbaker’s decision.
1962 – Diefenbaker, being a great advocate for human rights, introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights.
Diefenbaker also opposed the death penalty and while he was Prime Minister he managed to cut 52 of the 66 death sentences.
The death penalty was abolished in 1976 for Canada.
In my opinion Diefenbaker was a good Prime Minister for Canada. I support his decision to stay out of the Cuban Missile Crisis and seeing as it was resolved without the help of Canada, it’s clear his judgment can’t be challenged. It would have ended the same way with or without Canada and in my opinion the whole situation didn’t involve Canada directly as there was no threat to the mainland. Therefore if Canada had supported the US then the relations with Cuba would have been on thin ice and even as Canada didn’t help the US, the US can’t complain or blame Canada for anything since the problem was solved without war. I also support his outlook on the treatment of Japanese-Canadians and credit his perspective on the death penalty. He proved to be dauntless time after time with his constant opposition of unjust actions. He never hesitated to stand up for what he believed and act on what he trusted was right.