PIERRE ELLIOT TRUDEAU
• 1968 – Trudeau elected Prime Minister
• Trudeau wants Canada to be less dependent on the
USA (Independent Foreign Policy) .
• Under Trudeau Canada made decisions that were not
supported by the US:
• Officially recognized the People’s Republic of China
• Removed all nuclear warheads from Canadian Soil
• Cut Canadian forces in half
• Reduced Canada’s defense budget
PIERRE ELLIOT TRUDEAU
WHY DID CANADA RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE’S
REPUBLIC OF CHINA?
Canadians realized that China was a major world power
and an important trade partner.
WHY DID TRUDEAU DECIDE TO MAKE CANADA'S
MILITARY SMALLER AND NON-NUCLEAR?
He hoped that by scaling back Canada’s participation in
the nuclear arms race, he would ease tensions
between the two alliances (NATO and WARSAW)
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR
UNDER TRUDEAU
• 1968 - Trudeau created the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA).
• CIDA promoted tied aid: Countries receiving aid from
Canada had to promise to use it to buy manufactured
products from Canada.
• Colombo Plan: to provide aid to poor countries.
 Canada’s foreign aid increased from $277 million in
1967 to $2 billion in 1984.
SLEEPING WITH AN ELEPHANT …
“Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping
with an elephant. No matter how friendly and
even tempered is the beast, one is affected by
every twitch and grunt.”
PROMOTING PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING
• Established sport and trade links with communist
countries.
• Trudeau believed that the northern countries had a
responsibility to help the impoverished countries of
the south.
• The wealthy countries should provide aid to, and
purchase goods from, poor countries. This policy was
called trade and aid.
1972 SUMMIT SERIES