How Did The Suez Crisis Shape Canadian Identity

Identity is a concept that defines what something is and identity can be altered and shaped by experiences and events. Canada’s identity is something that has been shaped by a number of events, but some stand out more than others, these are moments where Canada showed the world who Canadians are and what it means to be Canadian. The Suez Crisis helped shape Canadian identity when Canada found their role as peacekeepers. Another event that helped create Canada’s identity was designing a new Canadian flag to represent Canada. Even events as recent as the 2010 Vancouver Olympics shaped Canadian identity because many Canadians united to support their brethren and show the world that Canadians are competitors. In the last 100 years, Canada showed

Peacekeeping is a part of Canadian identity because Canadians are credited with inventing UN Peacekeepers, with this reputation Canadians are also viewed as prime candidates for peacekeeping missions due to being a skilled, neutral group. Canadians are “credited with having "invented" interpositionary peacekeeping” to resolve the Suez Crisis, because of this “the UN looked at Canada as a candidate for every peacekeeping mission” because “who better to try to keep the peace?” After this the UN viewed Canada as peacekeeping leaders because they invented peacekeeping and knew how to peacefully resolve a conflict in a time where many others would try to solve it through combat. When looking into peacekeeping and the Suez Crisis there is one man who stands out, Lester B Pearson, the Canadian external affairs minister who ended a crisis as well as a true Canadian who came up with the idea for UN Peacekeeping. “Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize, the only Canadian ever to do so” and is credited to have “saved the world with his proposal to defuse the Suez crisis.” The fact that Pearson won a Nobel peace prize shows the world that this man is truly the father of Canadian peacekeeping. The world giving Pearson Nobel Peace prize was a symbol of the UN giving Canadians their respect and thinking of Canadians as synonymous with peacekeeping. In the aftermath of the Suez Crisis the world viewed Canada as peacekeepers and many Canadians embraced this new role with open arms. Canadians were incredibly proud to be known as peacekeepers and many Canadians praised Pearson for his “idea of using soldiers to end hostilities rather than begin them” and the glory it brought Canada. Canadians take pride in the fact that it was their idea “to end hostilities rather than begin them” and that world looked to them in times of trouble. After the Suez Crisis Canadians have come