Canada's Foreign Policy, 1948-1957

Under the leadership of Prime Minister St. Laurent and his Secretary of State for External Affairs Lester B. Pearson, Canada established and executed a foreign policy that was practical and fitting to subjective and objective conditions of the country. Right from January 1947, while he was still Secretary of State for External Affairs, St. Laurent suggested a number of basic principles for Canada's foreign policy in the following order of priority: national unity, political liberty, respect for rule of law, values of Christian civilization, and international responsibilities¹¹.

The principle of "national unity", placed first on the list of priority, was based on the specific historical fact that the Canadian federation was co-founded by the English and the French people. The conflict between these two groups in the past, sometimes resulting in bloody fighting, was one of the main obstacles preventing Canada from having a rational and stable foreign policy.

It was manifested clearly in the issue of Canada's participation in the two world wars and in the more specific issue of conscription resulting from this participation. Later, when the Cold War became an undeniable reality, Pearson has added another important principle: national security. He emphasized that the security of Canada should be put in the framework of an international effort characterized by a collective security and defense policy. "In this process, questions of national status have been subordinated to the necessity of thinking in terms of national security, and to attempt to realize this security through international collective action... The main reason for this growing emphasis on national security through collective action has been, of course, the threat to the free world which is presented by Soviet imperialism."¹²

Based on these above-mentioned principles, Canada's foreign policy is characterized by the following: 1) Canada is a middle power, ally of the United States and member nations of the Atlantic community; and, 2) Canada supports the resolution of international conflicts within the framework of the United Nations. Middle powers, are those countries "which by reason of their size, their material resources, their willingness to accept responsibility, their influence and stability, are close to being Great Powers."¹³

Canada was one among a small number of countries that satisfied almost all conditions mentioned in that definition. The role of a middle power was fitting nicely into the "functional theory" professed by Mackenzie King for Canada's membership in the United Nations¹⁴. This "functional theory", aimed at balancing the two extreme views for membership, suggests that each member country, by its capability, can make good contributions to the work of the organization in certain fields of action. This theory was used by Canada as the basis for the nomination of member nations to different technical committees. Canada, as a middle power, is a close ally of the United States by reason of geographical and economic conditions.

The Second World War has shown that the almost absolute safety of Canada as a North American country was no longer true and that Canada needed a collective defense policy with its southern neighbor. This alliance had to be placed within the framework of the Atlantic community by reason of the direct connections (by history) with the United Kingdom and France and of the relationships 5 based on the Western civilization with other countries. Canada, therefore, had a very active role in the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The United Nations was the forum where Canada concentrated its efforts in resolving international crises and conflicts. Canada has contributed significantly in the resolution of international conflicts in Palestine, Korea and Kashmir, and has established a record for the number of United Nations peace-keeping missions in which it has participated. "When South Korea became a victim of aggression in 1950, the Canadian government supported an immediate United States response but urged that it be made only after the Security Council had passed a covering resolution authorizing it as a United Nations operation."¹⁵ Through these actions, Canada was able to gain a reputation as a middle power dedicated to the keeping of world peace. It was on the basis of this reputation that Canada was nominated to the Security Council in September 1947. Mr. Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his efforts to bring the Suez Canal Crisis to an end one year before. It was within this context that Canada was nominated to join the ICCS in Vietnam in July 1954.