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99-614: Planned and originally funded to commemorate the Canadian centennial in 1967, its construction was interrupted by a substantial increase in cost and after the steel frame was put up the project did not proceed further for almost two years. A substantial reduction in the nature of many intended building materials permitted the project to resume and after the long delay the Centre of the Arts was opened by Governor General Roland Michener on August 24, 1970 at

198-509: A gadfly and an annoyance to Mackenzie King. Angered by the words of Diefenbaker and fellow Conservative MP Howard Green in seeking to censure the government, the Prime Minister referred to Conservative MPs as "a mob". When Diefenbaker accompanied two other Conservative leaders to a briefing by Mackenzie King on the war , the Prime Minister exploded at Diefenbaker (a constituent of his), "What business do you have to be here? You strike me to

297-736: A military tattoo unlike any other in Canadian history. It was formed in Picton, Ontario in February 1967 by members from the three branches of the military providing service personnel at the Picton base for training purposes. The "show" was produced by Colonel Ian Fraser of the Black Watch and would eventually included 1700 military men and women in a show that would travel across Canada from March to November performing over 150 performances. Some said that Tattoo 1967

396-581: A quarter-section , 160 acres (0.65 km ) of undeveloped land near Borden, Saskatchewan . In February 1910, the Diefenbaker family moved to Saskatoon , the site of the University of Saskatchewan . William and Mary Diefenbaker felt that John and his brother Elmer would have greater educational opportunities in Saskatoon. John Diefenbaker had been interested in politics from an early age and told his mother at

495-705: A Conservative had in the province was that afforded by the game laws . Diefenbaker's father, William, was a Liberal; however, John Diefenbaker found himself attracted to the Conservative Party . Free trade was widely popular throughout Western Canada, but Diefenbaker was convinced by the Conservative position that free trade would make Canada an economic dependent of the United States. However, he did not speak publicly of his politics. Diefenbaker recalled in his memoirs that, in 1921, he had been elected as secretary of

594-498: A Conservative, a year in which both federal and Saskatchewan provincial elections were held. Journalist Peter C. Newman , in his best-selling account of the Diefenbaker years, suggested that this choice was made for practical, rather than political reasons, as Diefenbaker had little chance of defeating established politicians and securing the Liberal nomination for either the House of Commons or

693-457: A DNA test which, according to the test conductor, a 99.99% chance that the two individuals were related, with no other known commonality between them other than that Diefenbaker employed both mothers. Diefenbaker won Prince Albert in 1953, even as the Tories suffered a second consecutive disastrous defeat under Drew. Speculation arose in the press that the leader might be pressured to step aside. Drew

792-462: A brief period under Bennett in 1935. Rowe was no friend of Diefenbaker – he had briefly served as the party's acting leader in-between Drew's resignation and Diefenbaker's election, and did not definitively rule himself out of running to succeed Drew permanently until a relatively late stage, contributing to Diefenbaker's mistrust of him – and was given no place in his government. Diefenbaker appointed Ellen Fairclough as Secretary of State for Canada ,

891-603: A cashier in Saskatoon, and by 1922, the two were engaged. However, in 1923, Newell was diagnosed with tuberculosis , and Diefenbaker broke off contact with her. She died the following year. Diefenbaker was himself subject to internal bleeding, and may have feared that the disease would be transmitted to him. In late 1923, he had an operation at the Mayo Clinic for a gastric ulcer , but his health remained uncertain for several more years. After four years in Wakaw, Diefenbaker so dominated

990-408: A contingent of 300 junior officers sent to Britain for pre-deployment training. Diefenbaker related in his memoirs that he was hit by a shovel, and the injury eventually resulted in him being sent home as an invalid. Diefenbaker's recollections do not correspond with his army medical records, which show no contemporary account of such an injury, and his biographer, Denis Smith, speculates that any injury

1089-485: A cost of $ 7.7 million to serve southern Saskatchewan as a centre for performing arts and exhibitions as well as university functions including graduation ceremonies of by the adjacent University of Regina . Engineering students at the nearby Regina Campus of the University of Saskatchewan (which became a separate university in 1974) dubbed it the "world's largest monkey bars ". It was completed after cutbacks were made to

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1188-526: A custom air horn that sounded the first four notes of " O Canada ." The train was inaugurated on January 9 in Victoria and made 83 stops across the country before reaching its final stop in Montreal on December 5. The Bank of Canada issued into circulation a redesigned version of the $ 1 banknote from the 1954 Series . The image on the reverse of this version shows the original Parliament Buildings , and

1287-788: A majority. While the Liberals finished some 200,000 votes ahead of the Tories nationally, that margin was mostly wasted in overwhelming victories in safe Quebec seats. St. Laurent could have attempted to form a government, however, with the minor parties pledging to cooperate with the Progressive Conservatives, he would have likely faced a quick defeat at the Commons. St. Laurent instead resigned, making Diefenbaker prime minister. When John Diefenbaker took office as Prime Minister of Canada on June 21, 1957, only one Progressive Conservative MP, Earl Rowe , had served in federal governmental office, for

1386-539: A neophyte lawyer, he had succeeded in winning the Prince Albert seat in the federal elections of 1925 or 1926, ... Diefenbaker would probably have been remembered only as an obscure minister in Bennett's Depression cabinet ... If he had carried his home-town mayoralty in 1933, ... he'd probably not be remembered at all ... If he had succeeded in his bid for the national leadership in 1942, he might have taken

1485-408: A new floor leader, Diefenbaker was defeated by one vote. Bracken was elected to the Commons in the 1945 general election , and for the first time in five years the Tories had their party leader in the House of Commons. The Progressive Conservatives won 67 seats to the Liberals' 125, with smaller parties and independents winning 52 seats. Diefenbaker increased his majority to over 1,000 votes, and had

1584-577: A nomination to stand again against Mackenzie King in Prince Albert. In the waning days of the Bennett government, the Saskatchewan Conservative Party president was appointed a judge, leaving Diefenbaker, who had been elected the party's vice president, as acting president of the provincial party. Saskatchewan Conservatives eventually arranged a leadership convention for October 28, 1936. Eleven people were nominated, including Diefenbaker. The other ten candidates withdrew, and Diefenbaker won

1683-451: A population of only 400, it sat at the heart of a densely populated area of rural townships and had its own district court . It was also easily accessible to Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Humboldt , places where the Court of King's Bench sat. The local people were mostly immigrants, and Diefenbaker's research found them to be particularly litigious. There was already one barrister in town, and

1782-519: A post-election party meeting in Moose Jaw , but it was refused. Diefenbaker continued to run the provincial party out of his law office and paid the party's debts from his own pocket. Diefenbaker quietly sought the Conservative nomination for the federal riding of Lake Centre but was unwilling to risk a divisive intra-party squabble. In what Diefenbaker biographer Smith states "appears to have been an elaborate and prearranged charade", Diefenbaker attended

1881-571: A previous case in which interference had caused information to be lost in transmission. In the mid-1940s Edna began to suffer mental illness and was placed in a private psychiatric hospital for a time. She later fell ill from leukemia and died in 1951. In 1953, Diefenbaker married Olive Palmer (formerly Olive Freeman), whom he had courted while living in Wakaw. Olive Diefenbaker became a great source of strength to her husband. There were no children born of either marriage. In 2013, claims were made that he fathered at least two sons out of wedlock, based

1980-453: A sworn enemy of discrimination." After graduating from high school in Saskatoon in 1912, Diefenbaker entered the University of Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1915, and his Master of Arts the following year. Diefenbaker was commissioned a lieutenant into the 196th (Western Universities) Battalion, CEF , in May 1916. In September of that year, Diefenbaker was part of

2079-697: A wartime coalition government, but Mackenzie King refused. The House of Commons had only a slight role in the war effort; under the state of emergency, most business was accomplished through the Cabinet issuing Orders in Council . Diefenbaker was appointed to the House Committee on the Defence of Canada Regulations , an all-party committee which examined the wartime rules which allowed arrest and detention without trial. On June 13, 1940, Diefenbaker made his maiden speech in

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2178-516: A young telegraph operator had been accused of negligently causing a train crash by omitting crucial information from a message. Twenty-one people were killed, mostly Canadian troops bound for Korea. Diefenbaker paid $ 1,500 and sat a token bar examination to join the Law Society of British Columbia to take the case, and gained an acquittal, prejudicing the jury against the Crown prosecutor and pointing out

2277-536: Is an Estevan brick and Manitoba Tyndall stone structure which houses the Main Theatre (seating 2031), Convention Hall (seating 1400, 1000 for banquets), previously known as Doris Knight Hall, Hanbidge Hall and Jubilee Theatre; and various conference rooms and lobby display areas. Main Theatre, with three balconies, has a large stage whose front lowers hydraulically to form an orchestra pit for 100 musicians. The centre

2376-539: Is the home of the Regina Symphony Orchestra , which upon its opening immediately transferred its concert site there from Darke Hall at the original Regina College site of the university; it immediately provided a replacement for downtown cinema buildings which were also theatres for stage plays, such as the Regina Theatre (which had burned to the ground in 1939), Regina Grand Theatre (which closed in 1957) and

2475-463: The 1948 leadership convention in Ottawa in favour of Drew, appointing more than 300 delegates at-large . One cynical party member commented, "Ghost delegates with ghost ballots, marked by the ghostly hidden hand of Bay Street, are going to pick George Drew, and he'll deliver a ghost-written speech that'll cheer us all up, as we march briskly into a political graveyard." Drew easily defeated Diefenbaker on

2574-465: The 23rd Canadian Parliament was opened on October 14 by Queen Elizabeth II – the first to be opened by any Canadian monarch – the government rapidly passed legislation, including tax cuts and increases in old age pensions. The Liberals were ineffective in opposition, with the party in the midst of a leadership race after St. Laurent's resignation as party leader. With the Conservatives leading in

2673-539: The Legislative Assembly . The provincial election took place in early June; Liberals would later claim that Diefenbaker had campaigned for their party in the election. On June 19, however, Diefenbaker addressed a Conservative organizing committee, and on August 6, was nominated as the party's candidate for the federal riding of Prince Albert , a district in which the party's last candidate had lost his election deposit . A nasty campaign ensued, in which Diefenbaker

2772-490: The Métis . He said, "From my earliest days, I knew the meaning of discrimination. Many Canadians were virtually second-hand citizens because of their names and racial origin. Indeed, it seemed until the end of World War II that the only first-class Canadians were either of English or French descent. As a youth, l determined to devote myself to assuring that all Canadians, whatever their racial origin, were equal and declared myself to be

2871-709: The Senate ( James Gladstone ). During his six years as prime minister, his government obtained passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights and granted the vote to the First Nations and Inuit peoples. In 1962, Diefenbaker's government eliminated racial discrimination in immigration policy. In foreign policy, his stance against apartheid helped secure the departure of South Africa from the Commonwealth of Nations , but his indecision on whether to accept Bomarc nuclear missiles from

2970-540: The cent , for instance, had a dove on its reverse. Communities and organizations across Canada were encouraged to engage in Centennial projects to celebrate the anniversary. The projects ranged from special one-time events to local improvement projects, such as the construction of municipal arenas and parks. The Centennial Flame was also added to Parliament Hill. Children born in 1967 were declared Centennial babies. In 1961, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker announced that

3069-596: The military history of Canada from the first French military and settlers in Canada in 1665 right up to Canada's UN Peace Keeping role in 1967. Challenge for Change (in Quebec Societé Nouvelle ) was a participatory film and video project created by the National Film Board of Canada in 1967 as a response to the Centennial. Active until 1980, Challenge for Change used film and video production to illuminate

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3168-500: The 100th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, and was awarded to Canadians who were recommended by governments and associations for having provided valuable service to this country. Some 30,000 Medals were conferred on Canadians selected from all sectors of Canadian society. John Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker ( / ˈ d iː f ən b eɪ k ər / DEE -fən-bay-kər ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979)

3267-563: The 28 students at his school near Toronto in 1903, four, including his son, John, served as Conservative MPs in the 19th Canadian Parliament beginning in 1940 (the others were Robert Henry McGregor , Joseph Henry Harris , and George Tustin ). The Diefenbaker family moved west in 1903, for William Diefenbaker to accept a position near Fort Carlton , then in the Northwest Territories (now in Saskatchewan). In 1906, William claimed

3366-599: The Capitol Theatre (demolished in 1992). Regina's Globe Theatre performed in the Centre of the Arts from its opening, but in 1981 acquired permanent space on the second and third floors of the old post office (now renamed the Prince Edward Building ), the one remaining live theatre facility in downtown Regina. The Centre of the Arts has alternates hosting duties for Telemiracle with TCU Place in Saskatoon . From

3465-460: The Centennial year. The Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant was a canoe race started on May 24 in the Rocky Mountains by ten teams representing eight provinces and the two territories. Two provinces were not entered. 3,283 miles were paddled and portaged in 104 days by 100 men using six man shifts per team. They arrived in Montreal on September 4. Other privately sponsored canoes from across

3564-509: The Conservative Party's legislative candidate, Diefenbaker took his place as prosecutor. Diefenbaker did not stand in the 1934 provincial election , in which the governing Conservatives lost every seat. Six days after the election, Diefenbaker resigned as Crown prosecutor. The federal government of Bennett was defeated the following year and Mackenzie King returned as prime minister. Judging his prospects hopeless, Diefenbaker had declined

3663-475: The Crown, and securing the last word for himself. In late 1920, he was elected to the village council to serve a three-year term. Diefenbaker would often spend weekends with his parents in Saskatoon. While there, he began to woo Olive Freeman , daughter of the Baptist minister, but in 1921, she moved with her family to Brandon, Manitoba , and the two lost touch for more than 20 years. He then courted Beth Newell,

3762-463: The Government's election promises; when it demands economy in one breath and increased spending in the next; when it proposes an immediate tax cut regardless of inflationary results ... when in short, the Conservative party no longer gives us a conservative alternative after twenty-one years ... then our political system desperately requires an opposition prepared to stand for something more than

3861-440: The House of Commons in the 1930 federal election , citing health reasons. The Conservatives gained a majority in the election, and party leader R. B. Bennett became prime minister. Diefenbaker continued a high-profile legal practice, and in 1933, ran for mayor of Prince Albert. He was defeated by 48 votes in an election in which over 2,000 ballots were cast. In 1934, when the Crown prosecutor for Prince Albert resigned to become

3960-560: The House of Commons, supporting the regulations, and emphatically stating that most Canadians of German descent were loyal. In his memoirs, Diefenbaker wrote he waged an unsuccessful fight against the forced relocation and internment of many Japanese-Canadians , but historians say that the fight against the internment never took place. According to Diefenbaker's biographer, Denis Smith, the Conservative MP quietly admired Mackenzie King for his political skills. However, Diefenbaker proved

4059-507: The Legislative Assembly in the 1929 provincial election . He was defeated, but Saskatchewan Conservatives formed their first government, with help from smaller parties. As the defeated Conservative candidate for Prince Albert City , he was given charge of political patronage there and was created a King's Counsel . Three weeks after his electoral defeat, he married Saskatoon teacher Edna Brower . Diefenbaker chose not to stand for

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4158-578: The Liberals regardless of who led the Tories. In January 1957, Diefenbaker took his place as Leader of the Official Opposition . In February, St. Laurent informed him that Parliament would be dissolved in April for an election on June 10 . The Liberals submitted a budget in March; Diefenbaker attacked it for overly high taxes, failure to assist pensioners, and a lack of aid for the poorer provinces. Parliament

4257-554: The Liberals were finally able to pass the measure. Diefenbaker played a relatively minor role in the Pipeline Debate, speaking only once. By 1956, the Social Credit Party was becoming a potential rival to the Tories as Canada's main right-wing party. Canadian journalist and author Bruce Hutchison discussed the state of the Tories in 1956: When a party calling itself Conservative can think of nothing better than to outbid

4356-508: The Liberals were in flux as the aging St. Laurent tired of politics. Drew was able to damage the government in a weeks-long battle over the TransCanada pipeline in 1956—the so-called Pipeline Debate —in which the government, in a hurry to obtain financing for the pipeline, imposed closure before the debate even began. The Tories and the CCF combined to obstruct business in the House for weeks before

4455-638: The Opposition on January 20, 1958, four days after becoming the Liberal leader. In his first speech as leader, Pearson (recently returned from Oslo where he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize ), moved an amendment to supply , and called, not for an election, but for the Progressive Conservatives to resign, allowing the Liberals to form a government. Pearson stated that the condition of the economy required "a Government pledged to implement Liberal policies". Government MPs laughed at Pearson, as did members of

4554-469: The Progressive Conservatives gained little, rising to 51 seats as St. Laurent led the Liberals to a fifth successive majority. In addition to trying to secure his departure from Parliament, the government opened a home for unwed Indian mothers next door to Diefenbaker's home in Prince Albert. Diefenbaker continued practising law. In 1951, he gained national attention by accepting the Atherton case, in which

4653-677: The Tory representation in the House, prominent Tories were increasingly unhappy with his leadership and pressured him to stand down. These party bosses believed that Ontario Premier George A. Drew , who had won three successive provincial elections and had even made inroads in francophone ridings, was the man to lead the Progressive Conservatives to victory. When Bracken resigned on July 17, 1948, Diefenbaker announced his candidacy. The party's backers, principally financiers headquartered on Toronto's Bay Street , preferred Drew's conservative political stances to Diefenbaker's Western populism. Tory leaders packed

4752-474: The United States led to his government's downfall. Diefenbaker is also remembered for his role in the 1959 cancellation of the Avro Arrow project. In the 1962 federal election , the Progressive Conservatives narrowly won a minority government before losing power altogether in 1963 . Diefenbaker stayed on as party leader, becoming Opposition leader , but his second loss at the polls prompted opponents within

4851-562: The United States, and to seek closer ties with the United Kingdom. St. Laurent called the Tory platform "a mere cream-puff of a thing—with more air than substance". Diefenbaker and the PC party used television adroitly, whereas St. Laurent stated that he was more interested in seeing people than in talking to cameras. Though the Liberals outspent the Progressive Conservatives three to one, according to Newman, their campaign had little imagination, and

4950-470: The Wakaw Liberal Association while absent in Saskatoon, and had returned to find the association's records in his office. He promptly returned them to the association president. Diefenbaker also stated that he had been told that if he became a Liberal candidate, "there was no position in the province which would not be open to him." It was not until 1925 that Diefenbaker publicly came forward as

5049-507: The Westerner saw little prospect of advancement and had received tempting offers from Ontario law firms. However, the gerrymandering so angered him that he decided to fight for a seat. Diefenbaker's party had taken Prince Albert only once, in 1911, but he decided to stand in that riding for the 1953 election and was successful. He would hold that seat for the rest of his life. Even though Diefenbaker campaigned nationally for party candidates,

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5148-985: The Yukon Fish and Game Association. It was a voyage down the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City commemorating the memory of the Klondike gold-seekers who sailed the Yukon River from Bennett Lake to Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. On August 6, 54 craft departed Whitehorse on a ten-day voyage to Dawson carrying 108 adults, 45 children, and 9 dogs. Participants came from four provinces, thirteen states and one European country. They sailed in different types of watercraft to include rubber-rafts, canoes, kayaks, river-boats, power-boats, skiffs, cabin cruisers, and four Amphicars . In addition to these major projects there were commemorative projects throughout

5247-511: The age of eight or nine that he would some day be prime minister. She told him that it was an impossible ambition, especially for a boy living on the prairies. She would live to be proved wrong. John claimed that his first contact with politics came in 1910, when he sold a newspaper to Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier , in Saskatoon to lay the cornerstone for the university's first building. The present and future prime ministers conversed, and when giving his speech that afternoon, Laurier mentioned

5346-544: The by-election on February 15, 1926, and he won easily. Although in the 1925 federal election, the Conservatives had won the greatest number of seats, King continued as prime minister with the support of the Progressives. Mackenzie King held office for several months until he finally resigned when the Governor General , Lord Byng , refused a dissolution . Conservative Party leader Arthur Meighen became prime minister, but

5445-524: The centennial as "the last good year" in his book 1967: The Last Good Year . In 1961, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker proposed a travelling exhibit on a train that would traverse the country and bring exhibits on the history of Canada to the citizens. The train consisted of six exhibit cars and seven cars for staff and equipment pulled by two diesel locomotives, one from each from Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway . The locomotives were painted in purple, grey, and black livery and had

5544-565: The centennial year. In a political and cultural context, Expo 67 was seen as a landmark moment in Canadian history. Expo 67 in particular was a signifier of the nation's mood of extreme optimism and confidence on heading into its second century. In retrospect, the centennial is seen as a high point of Canadian aspirations prior to the anxious decade of the 1970s that saw the nation divided over issues relating to inflation , an economic recession , government budget deficits and Quebec separatism . Popular Canadian historian Pierre Berton referred to

5643-632: The chamber of the House of Commons. Meighen sought to move the Tories to the left, in order to undercut the Liberals and to take support away from the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF, the predecessor of the New Democratic Party (NDP)). To that end, he sought to draft the Liberal-Progressive premier of Manitoba , John Bracken , to lead the Conservatives. Diefenbaker objected to what he saw as an attempt to rig

5742-521: The country made similar trips. In November 1967, the Confederation of Tomorrow conference was held at the newly built Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower . Called by Ontario Premier John Robarts , the summit of provincial premiers led to a new round of federal-provincial negotiations to amend the Canadian Constitution . The Yukon River Flotilla was a Centennial project organized and sponsored by

5841-657: The country. Municipal funding for approved centennial projects was matched dollar for dollar by both the province and the federal government. Providing a concrete reminder of the centennial year celebrations these projects included the 1,500 seat Norbrock Stadium in Kamloops , British Columbia, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa , the Centennial Building in Fredericton and many others. Approximately $ 25 million

5940-508: The critical Ontario delegates would not back Fleming, all but destroying his chances of victory. At the leadership convention in Ottawa in December 1956 , Diefenbaker won on the first ballot, and the dissidents reconciled themselves to his victory. After all, they reasoned, Diefenbaker was now 61 and unlikely to lead the party for more than one general election, an election they believed would be won by

6039-423: The federal government would provide funding for the construction of about 860 buildings as centennial projects. Under the Centennial Commission, convened in January 1963, various projects were commissioned to commemorate the Centennial year. The prime minister, Lester Pearson , appointed in 1965 a committee headed by Ernest Côté to plan events in Ottawa for 1967. The CBC commissioned Gordon Lightfoot to write

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6138-400: The first ballot. St. Laurent called an election for June 1949 , and the Tories were decimated, falling to 41 seats, only two more than the party's 1940 nadir. Despite intense efforts to make the Progressive Conservatives appeal to Quebecers, the party won only two seats in the province. Newman argued that but for Diefenbaker's many defeats, he would never have become prime minister: If, as

6237-480: The first woman to be appointed to a Cabinet post, and Michael Starr as Minister of Labour , the first Canadian of Ukrainian descent to serve in Cabinet. As the Parliament buildings had been lent to the Universal Postal Union for its 14th congress, Diefenbaker was forced to wait until the fall to convene Parliament. However, the Cabinet approved measures that summer, including increased price supports for butter and turkeys, and raises for federal employees. Once

6336-401: The heart every time you speak." The Conservatives elected a floor leader , and in 1941 approached former prime minister Meighen, who had been appointed as a senator by Bennett, about becoming party leader again. Meighen agreed, and resigned his Senate seat, but lost a by-election for an Ontario seat in the House of Commons. He remained as leader for several months, although he could not enter

6435-504: The immediately adjacent University of Regina , it has often been used as a private facility for social functions such as wedding receptions. Canadian Centennial The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation . Celebrations in Canada occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day , July 1. Commemorative coins were minted, that were different from typical issues with animals on each —

6534-418: The improbable chance of quick victory. In August 1956, Drew fell ill and many within the party urged him to step aside, feeling that the Progressive Conservatives needed vigorous leadership with an election likely within a year. He resigned in late September, and Diefenbaker immediately announced his candidacy for the leadership. A number of Progressive Conservative leaders, principally from the Ontario wing of

6633-408: The individual, freedom of enterprise and where there will be a Government which, in all its actions, will remain the servant and not the master of the people. The final Gallup poll before the election showed the Liberals ahead, 48% to 34%. Just before the election, Maclean's magazine printed its regular weekly issue, to go on sale the morning after the vote, editorializing that democracy in Canada

6732-405: The local legal practice that his competitor left town. On May 1, 1924, Diefenbaker moved to Prince Albert, leaving a law partner in charge of the Wakaw office. Since 1905, when Saskatchewan entered Confederation , the province had been dominated by the Liberal Party , which practised highly effective machine politics . Diefenbaker was fond of stating, in his later years, that the only protection

6831-481: The march on the part of the government towards arbitrary power". He objected to the great powers used by the Mackenzie King government to attempt to root out Soviet spies after the war, such as imprisonment without trial, and complained about the government's proclivity for letting its wartime powers become permanent. In early 1948, Mackenzie King, now aged 73, announced his retirement; later that year Louis St. Laurent succeeded him. Although Bracken had nearly doubled

6930-454: The newsboy, who had ended their conversation by saying, "I can't waste any more time on you, Prime Minister. I must get about my work." The authenticity of the meeting was questioned in the 21st century, with an author suggesting that it was invented by Diefenbaker during an election campaign. In a 1977 interview with the CBC , Diefenbaker recalled he saw injustice first-hand in his youth against French Canadians , Indigenous Canadians and

7029-611: The nominating convention as keynote speaker , but withdrew when his name was proposed, stating a local man should be selected. The winner among the six remaining candidates, riding president W. B. Kelly, declined the nomination, urging the delegates to select Diefenbaker, which they promptly did. Mackenzie King called a general election for March 25, 1940. The incumbent in Lake Centre was Liberal John Frederick Johnston . Diefenbaker campaigned aggressively in Lake Centre, holding 63 rallies and seeking to appeal to members of all parties. On election day, he defeated Johnston by 280 votes on what

7128-424: The obverse includes a green monochrome adaptation of the stylised maple leaf Centennial logo marked with the years 1867 and 1967. Two variants of the design were printed; the first had the serial number at the top of the obverse, whereas the second and more common variant had the years 1867 and 1967 printed twice flanking the apex of the coat of arms. The Canadian Centennial Medal was issued in 1967 to commemorate

7227-449: The original plans, including the exterior cladding. Maintenance and renovation in subsequent decades have substantially brought the appearance of the building substantially closer to the original intention than was initially possible. The TCU Place was erected in Saskatoon also commemorating Canada's centennial. Since 2006, its naming rights have been held by Conexus Credit Union . The building, designed by Izumi, Arnott, and Sugiyama,

7326-419: The party to force him to a leadership convention in 1967 . Diefenbaker stood for re-election as party leader at the last moment, but attracted only minimal support and withdrew. He remained in parliament until his death in 1979, two months after Joe Clark became the first Progressive Conservative prime minister since Diefenbaker. Diefenbaker ranks average in rankings of prime ministers of Canada . Diefenbaker

7425-423: The party's choice of new leader and stood for the leadership himself at the party's 1942 leadership convention . Bracken was elected on the second ballot; Diefenbaker finished a distant third in both polls. At Bracken's request, the convention changed the party's name to "Progressive Conservative Party of Canada." Bracken chose not to seek entry to the House through a by-election, and when the Conservatives elected

7524-432: The party, started a "Stop Diefenbaker" movement, and wooed University of Toronto president Sidney Smith as a possible candidate. When Smith declined, they could find no one of comparable stature to stand against Diefenbaker. The only serious competition to Diefenbaker came from Donald Fleming , who had finished third at the previous leadership convention, but his having repeatedly criticised Drew's leadership ensured that

7623-420: The place of John Bracken on his six-year march to oblivion as leader of a party that had not changed itself enough to follow a Prairie radical ... [If he had defeated Drew in 1948, he] would have been free to flounder before the political strength of Louis St. Laurent in the 1949 and 1953 campaigns. The governing Liberals repeatedly attempted to draw Diefenbaker's seat out from under him. In 1948, Lake Centre

7722-550: The polls, Diefenbaker wanted a new election, hopeful that his party would gain a majority of seats. The strong Liberal presence meant that the Governor General could refuse a dissolution request early in a parliament's term and allow them to form government if Diefenbaker resigned. Diefenbaker sought a pretext for a new election. Such an excuse presented itself when former Secretary of State for External Affairs Lester Pearson attended his first parliamentary session as Leader of

7821-522: The portion of the North-West Territories that would soon become the province of Saskatchewan . He grew up in the province and was interested in politics from a young age. After service in World War I , Diefenbaker became a noted criminal defence lawyer. He contested elections through the 1920s and 1930s with little success until he was finally elected to the House of Commons in 1940 . Diefenbaker

7920-479: The position by default. Diefenbaker asked the federal party for $ 10,000 in financial support, but the funds were refused, and the Conservatives were shut out of the legislature in the 1938 provincial elections for the second consecutive time. Diefenbaker himself was defeated in the Arm River riding by 190 votes. With the province-wide Conservative vote having fallen to 12 percent, Diefenbaker offered his resignation to

8019-424: The residents were loyal to him, initially refusing to rent office space to Diefenbaker. The new lawyer was forced to rent a vacant lot and erect a two-room wooden shack. Diefenbaker won the local people over through his success; in his first year in practice, he tried 62 jury trials, winning approximately half of his cases. He rarely called defence witnesses, thereby avoiding the possibility of rebuttal witnesses for

8118-473: The satisfaction of seeing Mackenzie King defeated in Prince Albert—albeit by a CCF candidate. The Prime Minister was returned in an Ontario by-election within months. Diefenbaker staked out a position on the populist left of the PC party. Though most Canadians were content to look to Parliament for protection of civil liberties , Diefenbaker called for a Bill of Rights, calling it "the only way to stop

8217-494: The social concerns of various communities within Canada, with funding from eight different departments of the Canadian government . The impetus for the program was the belief that film and video were useful tools for initiating social change and eliminating poverty. In Toronto, the Caribana parade and festival was launched in 1967 as a celebration of Caribbean culture, and as a gift from Canada's West Indian community in tribute to

8316-421: The song the " Canadian Railroad Trilogy " for broadcast on January 1, 1967. The Canadian Government commissioned typographer Carl Dair to create a new and distinctively Canadian typeface . The first proof of Cartier was published as "the first Canadian type for text composition" to mark the centenary of Canadian Confederation . The Canadian Armed Forces contributed to Centennial celebrations by producing

8415-401: The time it first opened the Centre of the Arts accommodated world-renowned travelling performers — as diverse as Monty Python's Flying Circus and Van Cliburn among many others in its first years — who might have been thought unlikely to visit a small city far from metropolises. As well as serving as theatre and concert hall for both local and travelling performers and graduation ceremonies of

8514-430: Was psychosomatic . After leaving the military in 1917, Diefenbaker returned to Saskatchewan where he resumed his work as an articling student in law. He received his law degree in 1919, the first student to secure three degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. On June 30, 1919, he was called to the bar , and the following day, opened a small practice in the village of Wakaw, Saskatchewan . Although Wakaw had

8613-543: Was a Canadian politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Canada , from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an election victory, doing so three times, although only once with a majority of the seats in the House of Commons . Diefenbaker was born in the small town of Neustadt in Southwestern Ontario . In 1903, his family migrated west to

8712-497: Was based on telling voters that their only real option was to re-elect St. Laurent. Diefenbaker characterized the Tory program in a nationwide telecast on April 30: It is a program ... for a united Canada, for one Canada, for Canada first, in every aspect of our political and public life, for the welfare of the average man and woman. That is my approach to public affairs and has been throughout my life ... A Canada, united from Coast to Coast, wherein there will be freedom for

8811-726: Was born on September 18, 1895, in Neustadt, Ontario , to William Thomas Diefenbaker and Mary Florence Diefenbaker, née Bannerman. His father was the son of German immigrants from Adersbach (near Sinsheim ) in Baden; Mary Diefenbaker was of Scottish descent and Diefenbaker was Baptist. The family moved to several locations in Ontario in John's early years. William Diefenbaker was a teacher, and had deep interests in history and politics, which he sought to inculcate in his students. He had remarkable success doing so; of

8910-502: Was called a " Hun " because of his German-derived surname. The 1925 federal election was held on October 29; he finished third behind the Liberal and Progressive Party candidates, losing his deposit. The winning candidate, Charles McDonald , did not hold the seat long, resigning it to open a place for the Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King , who had been defeated in his Ontario riding. The Tories ran no candidate against King in

9009-399: Was determined to remain, however, and Diefenbaker was careful to avoid any action that might be seen as disloyal. However, Diefenbaker was never a member of the "Five O'clock Club" of Drew intimates who met the leader in his office for a drink and gossip each day. By 1955, there was a widespread feeling among Tories that Drew was not capable of leading the party to a victory. At the same time,

9108-512: Was dissolved on April 12. St. Laurent was so confident of victory that he did not even bother to make recommendations to the Governor General to fill the 16 vacancies in the Senate. Diefenbaker ran on a platform which concentrated on changes in domestic policies. He pledged to work with the provinces to reform the Senate. He proposed a vigorous new agricultural policy, seeking to stabilize income for farmers. He sought to reduce dependence on trade with

9207-581: Was made available by the Centennial Committee for local projects. Some projects, such as the Ontario Science Centre , were completed after the 1967 centennial. The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or Expo 67 as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal from April 27 to October 29. Expo 67 was Canada's main celebration during

9306-420: Was otherwise a disastrous day for the Conservatives, who won only 39 seats out of the 245 in the House of Commons—their lowest total since Confederation. Diefenbaker joined a shrunken and demoralized Conservative caucus in the House of Commons. The Conservative leader, Robert Manion , failed to win a place in the Commons in the election, which saw the Liberals take 181 seats. The Tories sought to be included in

9405-457: Was quickly defeated in the House of Commons, and Byng finally granted a dissolution of Parliament . Diefenbaker, who had been confirmed as Conservative candidate, stood against King in the 1926 election , a rare direct electoral contest between two individuals who had or would become prime minister. King triumphed easily over Diefenbaker, the Liberals won the federal election, and King regained his position as prime minister. Diefenbaker stood for

9504-424: Was redistricted to remove areas which strongly supported Diefenbaker. In spite of that, he was returned in the 1949 election, the only PC member from Saskatchewan. In 1952, a redistricting committee dominated by Liberals abolished Lake Centre entirely, dividing its voters among three other ridings. Diefenbaker stated in his memoirs that he had considered retiring from the House; with Drew only a year older than he was,

9603-429: Was repeatedly a candidate for the party leadership. He gained that position in 1956 , on his third attempt. In 1957 , he led the party to its first electoral victory in 27 years; a year later he called a snap election and spearheaded them to one of their greatest triumphs . Diefenbaker appointed the first female minister in Canadian history to his cabinet ( Ellen Fairclough ), as well as the first Indigenous member of

9702-581: Was still strong despite a sixth consecutive Liberal victory. On election night, the Progressive Conservative advance started early, with the gain of two seats in reliably Liberal Newfoundland . The party picked up nine seats in Nova Scotia , five in Quebec, 28 in Ontario, and at least one seat in every other province. The Progressive Conservatives took 112 seats to the Liberals' 105: a plurality, but not

9801-557: Was the major event that year and there were calls to have the Tattoo travel through the U.S., Europe and even Russia but the Prime Minister at the time scuttled the idea. CBC Television and the National Film Board of Canada filmed the Tattoo, as did the Military. Tattoo 1967 was the largest undertaking by the military during peacetime and has never been reproduced since. The Tattoo depicted

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