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Lester B. Pearson vs. Sir John A. Macdonald
Thursday, January 20, 2011
We all have different thoughts about different prime ministers. Sometimes, we can't help but to compare them. But it's not really fair though, cause people have different accomplishments and different time being. But still, this post is about the accomplishments of the 2 of the greatest Prime Ministers of Canada. Let's start with Mr. John A. Macdonald.
Mr. John A. Macdonald:
Mr. Macdonald was born last January 11, 1815. He was the first Prime Minister of Canada. He's also the second longest serving Prime Minister. He also won six majority governments & served as the major proponent of a national railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway, linking Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. At the beginning, he entered politics at the municipal level, serving as alderman in Kingston. He became active in Conservative politics and in 1844 – he was elected for Kingston to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. He defended the imperial prerogative and state support of denominational education and opposed the abolition of primogeniture. Above all, he emerged as a shrewd political tactician who believed in the pursuit of practical goals by practical means. His intelligence and ability brought him his first Cabinet post as a receiver general in 1847. He remained in Opposition until the election of 1854 – after which he was involved in the creation of new political alliance – the Liberal-Conservative Party. During the years of 1854-64, Macdonald faced growing opposition in his own section of the province of the political union of Upper and Lower Canada. While conceding the necessity of a federal arrangement to accommodate strong racial, religious, and regional differences, Macdonald’s preference was for a strong, highly centralized, unitary form of government. He took the leading part in the drafting of a federal system in which the central government held unmistakable dominance over the provincial governments. His ability and knowledge received a great recognition from the Imperial government. Created, Sir John Macdonald, Knight commander of the Bath, he was chosen to take office as the first Prime Minister of Canada.
As a Prime Minister, he first became a ‘nation builder”. The Intercolonial Railway between Quebec City and Halifax was begun and plans were made for a transcontinental railway to the Pacific Coast. Manitoba entered the union following an insurrection led by Louis RIEL against the takeover of the area by the Dominion government, thereby forcing Macdonald's government to grant provincial status much sooner than had been intended and to accept a system of separate schools and the equality of the French and English languages. His’ involvement in the negotiations for a contract to build the CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY to BC involved him eventually in the PACIFIC SCANDAL; during the 1872 election large campaign contributions had been made to him and his colleagues by Sir Hugh ALLAN, who was to have headed the railway syndicate. Macdonald claimed that his "hands were clean" because he had not profited personally from his association with Allan, but his government was forced to resign in late 1873 and in the election of 1874 was defeated. Fortunately for Macdonald his defeat coincided with the onset of a business depression in Canada which gave the Liberal administration of Alexander MACKENZIE a reputation for being ineffectual. In 1876, at the instigation of a group of Montréal manufacturers, Macdonald began to advocate a policy of "readjustment" of the tariff - a policy which helped him return triumphantly to power in 1878. He remained prime minister for the rest of his life. In his’ second term, he still succeeded and managed to help the country - even though Canada was again in the middle of an economic depression, people were emigrating from every province to the United Sates, and there was an increasing dissatisfaction at the slow pace of national growth. Macdonald, although 76 years old, campaigned till he died in 1891. His legacy to his country was the structure of a transcontinental dominion.
Mr. Lester B. Pearson:
Mr. Pearson was born last April 23 1897. He was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis. He was the 14th Prime minister of Canada. He was the one who introduced universal health care, student loans, Canada pension plans, Order of Canada and current Canadian flag. Last World War 1, he volunteered for service as a Medical Orderly with the University of Toronto Hospital Unit. He was appointed as Minister of External Affairs ion Liberal Government. In 1957, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in defusing the Suez Crisis. He was elected leader of the
Liberal Party during the 1958 leader convention. Pearson led the Liberals to the minority government in the 1963 general election, and became Prime Minister. As the new Prime Minister, he signed the Canada - United States Automative Agreement in January 1965. He also started a number of Royal Commissions. Pearson was also remarkable for instituting the world's first race free immigration system.
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