With gratitude to Wikipedia, I did a little reading on Mike Pearson's early struggles. He became one of our greatest leaders and yet he didn't have an easy time becoming Prime Minister -- there were plenty of naysayers calling for his resignation early after he became Leader.
It took him five full years to rebuild the Party and he became Prime Minister when he was 66.
One of my earliest memories was of the Pearson becoming Prime Minister.
Here's a clip from CBC on his first minority election victory -- worth a look:
http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/prime_ministers/clips/7702/
It took a lot of work, and a Thinkers' Conference was just a small part of what was needed, but Pearson built the basis of the modern Liberal Party.
It took a lot of work, and a Thinkers' Conference was just a small part of what was needed, but Pearson built the basis of the modern Liberal Party.
After the resignation of Louis St. Laurent, Pearson was elected leader of the Liberal Party at its 1958 leadership convention, defeating his chief rival, cabinet minister Paul Joseph James Martin.
As the newly-elected leader of the Liberals, Mr. Pearson had given an ill-advised speech in the House of Commons that asked Prime Minister John Diefenbaker to give power back to the Liberals without an election, because of a recent economic downturn. This strategy backfired when Diefenbaker seized on the error by showing a classified Liberal document saying that the economy would face a downturn in that year. This contrasted heavily with the Liberal's 1957 campaign promises.
Consequently, Pearson's party was badly routed in the election of that year, losing over half their seats, while Diefenbaker's Conservatives won the largest majority ever seen in Canada to that point (208 of 265 seats). The election also cost the Liberals their Quebec stronghold; the province had voted largely Liberal in federal elections since the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but upon the resignation of former Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, the province had no favourite son leader, as they had had since 1948.
Pearson convened a significant 'Thinkers' Conference' at Kingston, Ontario in 1960, which developed many of the ideas later implemented when he became prime minister.
In the 1962 election, his party reduced the Progressive Conservative Party of John Diefenbaker to a minority government.
Not long after the election, Pearson capitalized on the Conservatives' indecision on installing nuclear warheads on Bomarc missiles. Minister of National Defence Douglas Harkness resigned from Cabinet on February 4, 1963, because of Diefenbaker's opposition to accepting the missiles. The next day, the government lost two non-confidence motions on the issue, prompting the election.
Pearson led the Liberals to a minority government in the 1963 general election, and became prime minister. He had campaigned during the election promising "60 Days of Decision" and support for the Bomarc missile program.
Pearson never had a majority in the Canadian House of Commons, but he nevertheless managed to bring in many of Canada's major social programs, including universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan and Canada Student Loans, and established a new national flag, the Maple Leaf. This was due in part to support for his minority government in the House of Commons from the New Democratic Party, led by Tommy Douglas. His legislation included instituting the 40-hour work week, two weeks vacation time and a new minimum wage.
As the newly-elected leader of the Liberals, Mr. Pearson had given an ill-advised speech in the House of Commons that asked Prime Minister John Diefenbaker to give power back to the Liberals without an election, because of a recent economic downturn. This strategy backfired when Diefenbaker seized on the error by showing a classified Liberal document saying that the economy would face a downturn in that year. This contrasted heavily with the Liberal's 1957 campaign promises.
Consequently, Pearson's party was badly routed in the election of that year, losing over half their seats, while Diefenbaker's Conservatives won the largest majority ever seen in Canada to that point (208 of 265 seats). The election also cost the Liberals their Quebec stronghold; the province had voted largely Liberal in federal elections since the Conscription Crisis of 1917, but upon the resignation of former Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, the province had no favourite son leader, as they had had since 1948.
Pearson convened a significant 'Thinkers' Conference' at Kingston, Ontario in 1960, which developed many of the ideas later implemented when he became prime minister.
In the 1962 election, his party reduced the Progressive Conservative Party of John Diefenbaker to a minority government.
Not long after the election, Pearson capitalized on the Conservatives' indecision on installing nuclear warheads on Bomarc missiles. Minister of National Defence Douglas Harkness resigned from Cabinet on February 4, 1963, because of Diefenbaker's opposition to accepting the missiles. The next day, the government lost two non-confidence motions on the issue, prompting the election.
Pearson led the Liberals to a minority government in the 1963 general election, and became prime minister. He had campaigned during the election promising "60 Days of Decision" and support for the Bomarc missile program.
Pearson never had a majority in the Canadian House of Commons, but he nevertheless managed to bring in many of Canada's major social programs, including universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan and Canada Student Loans, and established a new national flag, the Maple Leaf. This was due in part to support for his minority government in the House of Commons from the New Democratic Party, led by Tommy Douglas. His legislation included instituting the 40-hour work week, two weeks vacation time and a new minimum wage.
5 comments:
I thoroughly enjoyed this, I do remember too, the celebration of'67....Canada was 100 years!
Oh Gawd! Exactly what the party doesn't need, another rehash of past glories. Wake me up when you get to the 21st century.
James, doesn't Pearson's biography and likliness not more resemble Dion?
Be honest...
And yet you guys kicked Dion out without even pausing for a second to think about whether he might deserve a second try. Heck he wasn't even allowed to stay interim leader in the end when his personality and likliness was markedly similar to Pearson's.
It was a dangerous precedent particularly considering as you say Pearson lost twice before winning and being a great PM. But why should one standard apply to Dion and not to Ignatieff?
A fair question no?
I believe Ignatieff would deserve a second chance if he lost, but unless you called for Dion to get a second chance before he stepped down (you know very well he was pushed and that in his heart he wanted to stay for another election) you aren't very consistent are you?
Anon, my post may not have been clear. It's not so much past glory of which I speak. Rather, I am pointing out that the road back can be long and not direct. Mike Pearson did it and we can too -- but only if we do what he did and rebuild brick by brick. The Thinkers'Conference will be key.
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