Canada’s Prime Ministers

1948-1968

Louis St. Laurent

Louis St. Laurent1948-1957

Liberal

Known as “Uncle Louis”

Encouraged Newfoundland to join Confederation

Pushed Canada’s economy forward

Oil, nickel, zinc, copper and iron

Mega-projects

John Diefenbaker

John Diefenbaker1957-1963

Progressive Conservative - won largest majority in Canadian history in 1958

Known as “The Chief”

Social assistance from East to West: Pensions for the elderly, veterans, and disabled, aid given to the Prairie farmers and the Atlantic provinces

Brought in the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1960

Lester B. Pearson

Lester B. Pearson1963-1968

Liberal

UN Minister of External Affairs. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957

Appointed the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism

Federal-provincial relations included Medicare, pension plan and allowed provinces to “opt out”

Pierre Elliott Trudeau

Pierre Elliott Trudeau

1968-1979

Liberal

“Trudeaumania”

Believed in a strong federal government

Passed Official Languages Act in 1969

Canada’s

MEGA Projects1950s and 1960s

Trans-Canada Highway

Officially opened in 1962

7821 km of highway

Connected Vancouver to St. John’s

Emphasized the growing importance of the automobile

Trans-Canada Pipeline

Construction started in 1956

Gas line from Alberta to central Canada

St. Lawrence Seaway

Canada went along with the project in 1941, after the US failed to uphold their agreement to construct

Opened in 1959: largest managed waterway in the world

Provides passage to and from the Great Lakes from the Atlantic Ocean

Created huge hydroelectric projects

Known as the “Master Project of the North American Continent”

Toronto Subway

Canada’s first underground subway

Opened in 1954

Last original train retired in 1990 (it was only supposed to last 18 years!)