Lester B. Pearson
1963-1968
KEVIN LIANG
The Early Years
 Lester Bowles Pearson was
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born in Newton Brook,
Ontario in 1897
His father was a Methodist
minister
Excellent athlete and
student
Enrolled in history at the
University of Toronto
Received the nickname Mike
Rise To Power
 Joined the Department of
foreign affairs
 Became Canada’s
Ambassador to the United
States
 He had an important part
in founding both the
United Nations and NATO
 Won the Noble Peace Prize
for defusing the Suez Crisis
through the United Nations
Rise to Power cont’d
 Won in seat in the House
of Common for Algoma
East under the Liberal
Party
 After St. Laurent’s
resignation Pearson was
elected leader of the
Liberal Party
 Became Prime Minister of
Canada in the 1963
general election
1963 General Election
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
128
95
24
19
Accomplishments as a PM
 Accomplished many things under a minority government
 Brought in Universal Healthcare, the Canada Pension
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Plan, and the Canada Student Loans
Established the new national flag, the Maple Leaf.
Established legislations such as the 40-hour work week,
two weeks vacations time, and a new minimum wage
Improved Canada-US relationship
Started a number of Royal Commissions
Instituted a race-free immigration system
Issues that were Unsuccessfully Tackle
 Unable to limit
Conservative power
during elections
 Signed the Automotive
Products Trade
Agreement
 Did not send troops to
Vietnam
 Deteriorated the
situation between
Canada and France
The Final Days
 Announced on December
14, 1967 his retirement
from politics
 A new liberal leader was
called: Pierre Trudeau
 Served as Chancellor of
Carleton University in
Ottawa
 Died in 1972 and was
buried just north of
Gatineau, Quebec
Lester B. Pearson’s Impact
 “Pearson’s Canada is
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today’s Canada”
Established the things that
made Canadians feel proud
Created a sense of
nationalism
After Pearson, French was
made an official language,
and the Canadian
government would provide
services in both
Truly Great and Textbook
Great
“The choice, however, is as clear now for
nations as it was once for the
individual: peace or extinction”
Lester B. Pearson
Bibliography
Internet
 "Pearson-Profiles-First Among Equals." 2010.
<http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3350-e.html>.
 "Lester B. Pearson - MiniBio." Canadian Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan.
2010. <http://www.canadiancontent.net/people/politics/Lester-B.Pearson.html>.
 "Lester B. Pearson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki>
Book
 Cohen, Andrew. Lester B. Pearson. London: Penguin Canada, 2008. Print.
Film
 Lester B. Pearson . Dir. Andrew Cohen. Perf. Andrew Cohen. TVO, 2009.
Film.