Lester B. Pearson Essay

Over the years, there have been many Great Canadians. Whether they have had numerous amazing accomplishments, or only one very grave one, they are defined as a huge role in the country. Many Great Canadians have changed Canada in a good way, or have done things for the citizens. Lester B. Pearson’s efforts and accomplishments as Prime Minister helped improve Canada. He helped create Canada’s reputation as peacekeepers. When he felt Canadians needed it, he brought Universal Health Care into Canada. Lester B. Pearson also decided to get American car dealerships in Canada. â€Å"Canadians are the world’s best-known peacekeepers.†1 When a country is in need of support, Canada is there to save them. Canada has had a leading role when it comes to lending a helping hand. Not always, has Canada been the country to count on. Lester B. Pearson helped create Canada’s reputation as peacekeepers. â€Å"Canada has contributed soldiers, and sometimes civilians to every major United Nation’s peacekeeping operation.†2 Canada is very dedicated when it comes to helping other countries. Everyday citizens are willing to help out with a country in need. Canadians are not known for being peacekeepers because their government has told them to go support a country, they do it because they want too. They respect and help others who need it by volunteering their time and providing support. Sometimes without even leaving the country. Programs have been created not just by the government, but everyday citizens, where people can donate food, clothing, or money to other countries who need it most. â€Å"Lester B. Pearson was given the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in the UN’s dramatic sending of a peacekeeping force to the Middle East at the time of the Suez Crisis.†3 Even though Canada had no connections or fears for their country because of the Suez Crisis, they knew that many people and countries would have been badly effected by it. Canada wanted to stop a war from breaking out. Lester B. Pearson had a huge role during this time, working at a fast pass to try to stop it as well as supporting the countries in need. In the end, Canada’s hard work and devotion payed off. Lester B. Pearson as well as Canadian’s, strongly supported peacekeeping, which helped create and improve Canada’s reputation. There are many things Canada has that other countries do not, which makes Canada unique. One thing Canada has is Universal Health Care. Some countries do not think they need it, or they just prefer the way things are already. Lester B. Pearson brought Health Care into Canada when he felt  Canadians needed it. â€Å"Until the 1950s, Canadians got medical treatment with cold cash, private insurance, or charity.†4 Some countries still have to pay for their Health Care and other medical care. Some things regarding health can be very expensive. Before Universal Health Care in Canada, some citizens would not be able to afford medical care. Introducing Health Care in Canada helped many people out who needed it, as well as saved some people from anything seriously terrible they were not able to afford it fixed. â€Å"Lester B. Pearson’s government negotiated federal-provincial agreements and saw the legislation pass, leading to Canada-wide Medicare in 1966.†5 Lester B. Pearson worked hard to try to get Universal Health Care in Canada. He did it to help the citizens and create a better Canada as well. Being healthy is always a good thing for everyone. Some people did not approve of the idea at first, but it benefitted many citizens. When thinking about ways to help the citizens of Canada live better, healthier lives, Universal Health Care was a great way to make sure Canadians were all right and had support where they need it most. Every country wants a strong, stable economy. More new products being built expands businesses and creates new jobs, which means more money for the country and citizens. Prosperit y is the goal. To obtain that goal, countries and leaders have to think of new ways to reach it. When Canada wanted to create a better economy, Lester B. Pearson decided to get American Car dealerships into Canada, creating the Automotive Agreement (Auto Pact). â€Å"The agreement helped secure the foundations for Canadian manufacturing and industry.†6 Creating a strong foundation for the economy of Canada improved many things. It protected the country if anything bad were to happen and made it easier to repair the country back to normal. A countries look, or reputation also depends on its economy. When a country has prosperity, people from other countries will want to visit, earning more money from foreigners as well. â€Å"The Auto Pact helped strengthen the relationship between Canada and the US.†7 At the time, Canada and the US were not very close because of Cold War tensions between the two. The Auto Pact helped settled those tensions and made Canada and the US a lot closer, which strengthened their countries as well. Canada could now rely on the US, and the US could do them same with them. Lester B. Pearson’s action in creating the Auto Pact helped to build prosperity in Canada, which created a stronger, more wealthy economy. Lester B. Pearson’s efforts and  accomplishments as Prime Minister helped improve Canada. Pearson had helped create Canada’s reputation as peacekeepers. He brought Health Care to Canada. Lester B. Pearson also got American car dealerships to come to Canada. There have been many Great Canadians over the years, but Lester B. Pearson has proven to be one of the best. Bibliography CBoC. â€Å"End of an Era? International Challenges to the Auto Pact.† The Conference board of Canada. http://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=150 (accessed January 16, 2013). Crane, David. â€Å"Canada-US Automotive Product Agreement.† eLibrary. http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/ (accessed January 16, 2013). Junior Canadian Encyclopedia. â€Å"United Nations.† eLibrary. http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/ (accessed January 12, 2013). The Historian-Dominion Institute. â€Å"Health Care.† 101 Things Canadians Should Know About Canada. http://www.101things.ca/topten.php?item=9 (accessed January 15, 2013).