POLS 375 Lecture Notes - Nuclear Technology, Pierre Trudeau, Douglas Harkness
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Published on 27 Jan 2013
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It's hard to say no.
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Liberals, Progressive Conservatives and Canadian Alliance supported mission.
It really drained our military.
In a similar vein to Afghanistan.
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At one point, Canada thought of giving the military a one-year leave to rebuild in 2011.
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Our system virtually guarantees that one party can make decisions unilaterally.
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In Israel, Netanyahu won re-election but his majority is gone.
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None of the political parties in Canada have actually opposed intervention, as it fits into our
narrative as peacekeepers and good international citizens.
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There are some things that can lead to "Mission Creep."
Diefenbaker accepts military vehicles that are capable of transporting nukes.
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Liberals are also anti-nuclear.
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Howard Green, as well as public opinion, is largely anti-nuclear.
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The Liberals failed to win in 1957!
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From 1920 and 1948, the Liberals were in power for all but six years.
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The Liberals had been led by Louis St. Laurent, who made Lester B. Pearson his Minister of
Foreign Affairs.
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As long as he is opposition leader, Diefenbaker can safely backtrack on his stance on
nuclear weapons.
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1960-61: Diefenbaker has change of heart and decides that nuclear warheads are
ghetto.
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Pearson is firmly anti-nuclear.
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JFK was what Obama is to Canada right now.
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JFK was revered in Canada and was considered to be the best popular politician in
Canada, even though he was a lame American Democrat.
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The Americans release information that our weapons systems don't work without nukes,
and we knew about it.
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John F. Kennedy (JFK) and the American administration called Diefenbaker a liar.
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Canada initially refused to raise its defence levels, while Harkness disagreed and said
yes, it should happen.
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Harkness eventually resigns and his resignation gives Pearson a reason to introduce a
confidence motion in Diefenbaker's government… and we had an election in 1963.
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The 1963 election focuses on the Cuban Missile Crisis… and Pearson wins a minority
government.
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Back then, the Cabinet was a check on the prime minister?
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Douglas Harkness firmly supports nuclear arms and basically commits treason during the
Cuban Missile Crisis.
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Canada accepted Beaumont missiles due to the launch site being in close proximity to
populated areas.
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Our NATO forces eventually become armed with tactical nukes.
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Canada exports nuclear technology… and this included India, which indirectly helped
India create its nuclear bomb… leading to Pakistan arming itself.
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Pierre Elliott Trudeau would eventually remove all nuclear weapons from Canadian soil, but
NATO forces will continue to be armed with nukes.
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Canada has largely embraced nuclear power, but we are against the idea of other countries
arming themselves with nukes?!
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In 1993, with the end of the Cold War, Canada's armed forces return to Canada from
Germany.
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Canada remains an important part of NATO while Trudeau reduces the number of troops
committed to the military.
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NATO/Nuclear Option
Canada and NATO, Part 2?
January-23-13
9:32 AM
POLS 375.3 Page 1