Canada's Role in International Community After World War 2

World War 2 was the lever that catapulted Canada into prominent position within the international scene. During the war, the total value of Canadian export was tripled from 0.924 billion US to 3.218 billion US. ⁸ Canada was one of the two biggest war equipment production centers of the Allies. After the war, for more than a decade, Canada retained a very advantageous position. Thanks to the fact that Western Europe (including United Kingdom) and Japan still were not fully recovered from heavy damages, Canada became the second most important trading power in the world, which helped Canada acquire a strong position and voice in world diplomacy.

This favorable economic factor was greatly reinforced by the internal political factor. "In 1949, the St. Laurent Administration won the largest parliamentary majority in Canadian history until that time, including a majority of seats in both English and French-speaking Canada." ⁹ Thanks to this majority, St. Laurent and his Secretary of State for External Affairs, Lester B. Pearson, were able to maintain a very stable foreign policy. Besides, the leadership role of Canada within the Commonwealth also played an important part in the whole situation.

All these factors have joined forces wonderfully to provide Canada with the position of the most important "middle power" in the world at that time. Canada played an important role in all international events, especially those within the jurisdiction of the United Nations, the international organization to which Canada had contributed significantly in the creation and administration.

The important political event that marked the coming of age of Canada's diplomacy occurred when Prime Minister Mackenzie King no longer held the portfolio of External Affairs. "Louis St. Laurent was sworn in as Secretary of State for External Affairs on September 5, 1946; the same day it was decided that L.B. Pearson should return from Washington to become his undersecretary." ¹⁰ Both St. Laurent and Pearson later became Prime Ministers of Canada.