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Lester B Pearson Essay

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How was Lester B. Pearson a force for positive change in Canada? Lester B. Pearson; his last name sounds very familiar. If you have ever left the country for a vacation with the family or to attend some business, you most likely went through Toronto Pearson International Airport. Today, Pearson International is one of the most well-known airports out there. Toronto Pearson Airport began construction in 1957–1964 and was officially opened for service on February 28th, 1964, by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Lester B. Pearson was born on April 23rd, 1897, in Newtonbrook, Toronto, Ontario. Pearson began his university years at the University of Toronto in 1913 at the age of sixteen. Pearson was then sent to fight in World War I from 1914–1918. …show more content…

Pearson rebuilt the Liberal Party and, as prime minister, strove to maintain Canada's national unity. The article by Lester B. Pearson found in the Canadian Encyclopaedia says, "The Liberals were reduced to 49 of the 265 seats in the House of Commons. Pearson began the slow task of rebuilding the party. With the assistance of parliamentary debaters such as Paul Martin and J.W. Pickersgill, as well as party workers such as Walter Gordon, Mitchell Sharp, and Maurice Lamontagne, Pearson re-established the Liberals as a national party. In the 1962 general election, Pearson raised the party’s total to 100 seats." Lester B. Pearson not only rebuilt the liberal party after it almost fell apart, but he also started restoring the number of seats the party originally had. This act of rebuilding the Liberal Party placed Pearson as the 14th prime minister of Canada. This wouldn't have been possible without the help of Walter Gordon. The article on Walter L. Gordon found on Wikipedia says, "Gordon was the Chancellor of York University from 1973 to 1977. According to Dr. Stephen Azzi, Walter Gordon is responsible for "New Nationalism" in Canada. This is the idea of supporting stronger ties with Great Britain to prevent Canada from being absorbed by the United States. He published his political memoirs in 1977." This is how Lester B. Pearson rebuilt the Liberal Party and became the prime minister of Canada. Today, the Liberal Party has around 338 seats in

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