The Intellectual Roots of Canada's Peacekeeping Tradition

Building on the foundations laid during Mackenzie King’s leadership, Louis St. Laurent
continued to shape Canada’s international identity as a moderate and principled middle power.
Serving as Secretary of State for External Affairs from 1946 to 1948 and briefly as Minister of
Justice and Attorney General of Canada in 1948, St. Laurent was already deeply involved in
foreign and domestic policy before succeeding King as Prime Minister of Canada (1948–1957)
and President of the Privy Council (Slide 13, Student Presentation: Cold War Canada). The
second French Canadian to hold the office after Wilfrid Laurier, St. Laurent implemented a series
of domestic and international policies that helped define postwar Canada. Domestically, his
government introduced equalization payments, expanded immigration, and established the
Canada Council to promote the arts, fostering national unity and cultural development.
In foreign affairs, St. Laurent articulated the Five General Principles of Canadian Foreign
Policy, emphasizing political liberty, the rule of law in both national and international affairs, the
values of Christian civilization, global responsibility, and constructive engagement with allies
such as the Commonwealth, the United States, and France. These principles also promoted the
growth of the Canadian Foreign Service and Canada’s support for multilateral international
organizations, reflecting a vision of diplomacy grounded in historical experience and shared
values with traditional allies (Slides 13-15, Student Presentation: Cold War Canada). As St.
Laurent noted, Canada’s approach was one of collective reflection and discussion: “Acting as a
united people… through reflection and discussion… arriving at a common understanding of our
interests and purposes” (Textbook, p. 189). Through these initiatives, St. Laurent not only
continued King’s cautious, sovereignty-minded foreign policy but also established the
intellectual and institutional roots of Canada’s enduring peacekeeping tradition.
During St. Laurent’s leadership as Prime Minister of Canada, he appointed Lester B.
Pearson as his Secretary of External Affairs. Under the prior leadership of micro-managing
Makenzie King, St. Laurent learned from King’s mistakes how important it was to allow his own
secretary creative freedom in his operation. Under this leadership, along with the governing
international principles established by King, Pearson, and St. Laurent, Canada became an
international powerhouse on the global stage.
While Lester B. Pearson's leadership during the Suez Crisis (1956) was widely
recognized as the origin of modern peacekeeping, this moment emerged from a longer interwar
evolution of Canadian diplomatic preferences. King's emphasis on mediation, non-coercive
diplomacy, and multilateral processes helped define Canada's credibility and legitimacy as an
intermediary (Slides 7 & 16, Student Presentation: Cold War Canada). This credibility proved
essential to Pearson's success in proposing the first UN Emergency Force, which earned him the
Nobel Peace Prize (Slides 16 & 17). Other Pearsonian contributions include support for the
design and implementation of the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(Textbook, p. 192). Pearson also contributed to the Marshall Plan, which was an offshore
supplier of goods funded by the US, and the End of War financed its exports to the UK and
Western Europe.
The peacekeeping tradition, often associated with Canada's national identity in the latter
half of the twentieth century, thus draws significantly from King's interwar positioning of Canada
as a state committed to international order but skeptical of unilateral intervention.

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Building on the foundations laid during Mackenzie King’s leadership, Louis St. Laurent continued to shape Canada’s international identity as a moderate and principled middle power. Serving as Secretary of State for External Affairs from 1946 to 1948 and briefly as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada in 1948, St. Laurent was already deeply involved in foreign and domestic policy before succeeding King as Prime Minister of Canada (1948–1957) and President of the Privy Council (Slide 13, Student Presentation: Cold War Canada). The second French Canadian to hold the office after Wilfrid Laurier, St. Laurent implemented a series of domestic and international policies that helped define postwar Canada. Domestically, his government introduced equalization payments, expanded immigration, and established the Canada Council to promote the arts, fostering national unity and cultural development. In foreign affairs, St. Laurent articulated the Five General Principles of Canadian Foreign Policy, emphasizing political liberty, the rule of law in both national and international affairs, the values of Christian civilization, global responsibility, and constructive engagement with allies such as the Commonwealth, the United States, and France. These principles also promoted the growth of the Canadian Foreign Service and Canada’s support for multilateral international organizations, reflecting a vision of diplomacy grounded in historical experience and shared values with traditional allies (Slides 13-15, Student Presentation: Cold War Canada). As St. Laurent noted, Canada’s approach was one of collective reflection and discussion: “Acting as a united people… through reflection and discussion… arriving at a common understanding of our interests and purposes” (Textbook, p. 189). Through these initiatives, St. Laurent not only continued King’s cautious, sovereignty-minded foreign policy but also established the intellectual and institutional roots of Canada’s enduring peacekeeping tradition. During St. Laurent’s leadership as Prime Minister of Canada, he appointed Lester B. Pearson as his Secretary of External Affairs. Under the prior leadership of micro-managing Makenzie King, St. Laurent learned from King’s mistakes how important it was to allow his own secretary creative freedom in his operation. Under this leadership, along with the governing international principles established by King, Pearson, and St. Laurent, Canada became an international powerhouse on the global stage. While Lester B. Pearson's leadership during the Suez Crisis (1956) was widely recognized as the origin of modern peacekeeping, this moment emerged from a longer interwar evolution of Canadian diplomatic preferences. King's emphasis on mediation, non-coercive diplomacy, and multilateral processes helped define Canada's credibility and legitimacy as an intermediary (Slides 7 & 16, Student Presentation: Cold War Canada). This credibility proved essential to Pearson's success in proposing the first UN Emergency Force, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize (Slides 16 & 17). Other Pearsonian contributions include support for the design and implementation of the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Textbook, p. 192). Pearson also contributed to the Marshall Plan, which was an offshore supplier of goods funded by the US, and the End of War financed its exports to the UK and Western Europe. The peacekeeping tradition, often associated with Canada's national identity in the latter half of the twentieth century, thus draws significantly from King's interwar positioning of Canada as a state committed to international order but skeptical of unilateral intervention.

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