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Parents and Grandparents
“One wonders whether Canadians will possess a common national memory a generation from now given that three-quarters of high school graduates were unable to give the date of Confederation – a ten percent point decline in ten short years.”
-- Rudyard Griffiths, 2007,
The Dominion Institute
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Spread the Word!
If you are a parent, grandparent or, indeed, any concerned citizen you are disturbed by the quote above from The Dominion Institute.
If you are concerned about the loss of knowledge of Canada, including our prime ministers and their accomplishments, consider buying Book One in the series today, The Mystery of the Moonlight Murder: An Early Adventure of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker
- If you can, buy a copy of this book at Fireside Publishing House for your children, grandchildren or as a gift idea. When you buy from Fireside, each book is personally signed by the author.
- If you have a website or blog, consider sharing your thoughts about the idea of the Leaders and Legacies series. Canada needs more voices to support our national identity, our national stories.
- Write a book review for your local newspaper or for a favourite website. Contact your favourite radio show to have the author on as a guest. Listeners help decide content!
- Store and business owners -- consider putting a small display of this book on your counter or in some other available space. We offer discount pricing for purchasing five or more books.
- Contact the author and have him speak to your group, class or service club.
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Support the Leaders and Legacies series...
Where History and Adventure Meet
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Accomplishments of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker
(this list is not definitive but provides many of his key initiatives)
- Canada’s Bill of Rights was passed in 1958, a precursor to the country’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms decades later
- Diefenbaker appointed the initial First Nations senator, James Gladstone of Alberta. He also extended the right to vote to First Nations people
- Diefenbaker fearlessly criticized the Soviet Union for its repression of minorities when he spoke to the United Nations General Assembly
- He spearheaded the movement for racial equality within the Commonwealth. This led to South Africa leaving the Commonwealth of Nations.
- An Agricultural Stabilization Act was created in 1958 which provided for flexible support and minimum prices on commodities to support farmers.
- Canada began to sell wheat to China, opening a massive new market for Canadian farmers.
- Diefenbaker gave his support to the construction of the South Saskatchewan Dam (later called the Gardiner Dam). In his honour, the lake it created was named Lake Diefenbaker.
- A life-long champion of the Canadian North, Diefenbaker undertook a massive northern infrastructure program called ‘roads to resources.’ As part of the program, over 2,250 kilometres of roads were built across the territories. The program also included new airports and ice roads for transportation during the winter months.
- The community of Inuvik, located two degrees above the Arctic Circle, was practically built by the Diefenbaker government. Diefenbaker also invested in the Dempster Highway which provided a reliable land-link between southern Canada and Inuvik.
- Diefenbaker went into the history books as the first Canadian prime minister to travel north of the Arctic Circle.
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