What Mark Carney Can Learn From John Diefenbaker

Epoch Times

12-05-2025

Commentary
Review of
On April 28, after President Donald Trump again remarked that Canada should become the
The protection of Canadian nationhood and freedom is a recurring theme in True North history, as Bob Plamondon shows in his new biography of John Diefenbaker, '
Plamondon, author of other books such as
As Plamondon recounts, when attending the United Nations General Assembly in 1960, Prime Minister Diefenbaker was outraged by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev's attacks on the United States and his call for the U.N. to 'uphold the sovereign rights of states and to press for the re-establishment of international relations on a sound legal basis.' The man they called 'Dief the Chief' was unsparing in his response.
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'Mr. Khrushchev, in a gigantic propaganda drama of destructive misrepresentation, launched a major offensive in the Cold War,' he said in his address. 'I ask [Khrushchev] this question: how many human beings have been liberated by the U.S.S.R.? Do we forget how one of the postwar colonies of the U.S.S.R. sought to liberate itself four years ago and with what results? How are we to reconcile the tragedy of the Hungarian uprising in 1956 with Chairman Khruschev's confident assertion of a few days ago in this Assembly?'
According to Plamondon, Diefenbaker 'confronted the Russian bear and triumphed on the world stage by standing up for the rights of all people to freedom and democracy.' More importantly, the address was heard in Soviet prison camps, and was particularly inspiring to those in jail for advocating for Ukrainian independence.
With the freedom of Ukraine once again under threat by Russia, Carney should take up Diefenbaker's example of defending democracy abroad. Additionally, Carney should learn also from Diefenbaker's unyielding commitment to defending Canadian liberties at home. During the height of World War II, Diefenbaker's anti-communist views did not prevent him from chastising the government for curtailing the rights of free speech for Canadians sympathetic to communism. As a member of Parliament, he criticized the federal government for its
'Mr. Speaker, ... I do not believe the minds of liberty-loving Canadians, however much they hate communism, have become so apathetic in six years of domination by a state in a period when the political doctrines of regimentation have been in effect,' he said in the House of Commons
As prime minister, Diefenbaker would translate his lifelong commitment to Canadian liberties to his advocacy for a Canadian Bill of Rights. According to Plamondon, the bill was the signature achievement of Diefenbaker's prime ministership: 'There is little doubt that it would not have been enacted without his vision and leadership.'
The Bill of Rights was the first affirmation of individual rights and freedoms at the federal level in Canadian history; its
To further assert Canadian nationalism, Diefenbaker stressed the necessity for a unified Canadian identity which transcends race and ethnicity. His opposition to what we call 'identity politics' today is demonstrated by his mantra of One Canada, eschewing hyphenated descriptions such as German-Canadian. As the first prime minister of neither British nor French ancestry, Diefenbaker 'rejected the view that Canada's founding was a coming together of two races,' according to Plamondon.
This conviction prompted Diefenbaker to extend voting rights to indigenous Canadians, as well as using the Bill of Rights to further guarantee protection of individual and civil liberties of First Nations and Inuit peoples. 'I believe,' he proclaimed, 'that today, our Indians should no longer be in the position of second-class citizens in the country in which they indeed were the first citizens.'
Diefenbaker's respect for indigenous rights played out in the landmark 1970 Supreme Court case of
As former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien wrote in the foreword to Freedom Fighter, Diefenbaker 'was undeniably a proud and passionate Canadian. He devoted his life to public service and inspired others to do the same.' Although Chrétien and Diefenbaker were from opposing parties, both men understood the value of governing by common sense and trusting the judgment of the people.
In his victory speech, incumbent Prime Minister Mark Carney proclaimed that he would represent Canadian citizens 'no matter where you live, no matter what language you speak, no matter how you voted.' This is something Diefenbaker would say—and mean. Dief the Chief is an example to follow, especially his unyielding fight for Canadian liberty and sovereignty.
Chuong Nguyen is the host of the
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.