Diefenbaker and Equality

    Diefenbaker promoted a lot of equality. While he was in power he created the Bill of Right and made the House of Commons bilingual.  Diefenbaker always said the Bill of Rights was needed to take a stand again discrimination based on all the different factors, and when he made the Bill of Rights it did stand up against discrimination and fight for the equality of all people.  The Bill of Rights declares the dignity and worth of a person, it includes certain human rights and freedoms.  When these rights and freedoms were guaranteed in the law for the first time it was a very important step in equality for Canadians.

     Deifenbaker also took a very important step towards equality for Canadians when he started translating the House of Commons' debates.  This was a step towards bilingualism, but bilingualism was a big part of equality at the time because of the Quebec people who claimed they were deprived of speaking French. Since January 1959 every word spoken in the House of Commons is translated simultaneously. All people in the House of Commons can say anything they want in their own language and be confident they will be understood.  Translating in the House of Commons was a big step towards bilingualism which was also an important act of equality especially for the French.

http://www.sasktourism.com/about-saskatchewan/personalities-in-our-past/john-diefenbaker

Pearson

  Pearson provided health care not to some, but all Canadians no matter what race, gender, status, or financial situation.   When Pearsonʼs Minister of National Health and Welfare, Allan J. MacEachen,introduced the idea for health care at the House of Commons he stated, “The government of Canada believes that all Canadians should be able to obtain health services of high quality according to their need for such services and irrespective of their ability to pay. We believe that the only practical and effective way of doing this is through a universal, prepaid, government-sponsored scheme.”  MacEachen is explaining that he believes all people deserve health care even if they cannot pay.  This shows that even though Universal Healthcare doesn't seem like an equal rights act Pearson and his government intended it to be.  They wanted to keep everyone healthy not just people that could pay a lot of money for it.  Also, even though the Canadian Pension Plan just takes employed peopleʼs money and returns it to them month by month after retirement, it still promotes equality especially to elders.  The Pension Plan offers a smart way for adults to save money for
their retirement.  Many adults donʼt know how to go about thinking and planning for their retirement but the pension plan helps them to do so in a way that wonʼt effect their current financial situation.  The plan offers everyone a chance to have a chance at a good comfortable retirement that they may not have gotten otherwise.

Genocide in The World

http://greatersurbiton.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/the-armenian-genocide-should-be-recognised-by-historians-not-by-states/

Everyone is interested in learning about the Holocaust in Germany because they think that we learned from are mistakes and now life is better but genocide has happened again and again. Genocide has happened in Rwanda, Australia, Bosnia and many other countries. All of these honorific events have lead to the death of millions and the displacement of millions from there homes making them refugees. Many groups like the United Nations, NATO and NORAD have devoted billions of dollars and energy into making sure that  genocide never happens again but the question on everyone's mind is are these groups plans working. Many people don't believe that these groups plans work because genocides are still happening today like in Syria. If you where in a position of power how would you make sure that genocides never happen again? 

Pierre Trudeau

Pierre Trudeau was a prime minister that concentrated mostly on making a equal society  He did this by doing things like making laws regarding homosexuality, divorce and abortion. Trudeau set the Canadian charter of rights and freedom. This was a huge step for Canada's independence. Pierre Trudeau was very iconic and was seen almost like a super star. Pierre's main goal was to become a just society which meant that everyone was equal. I think that Pierre was very successful with doing this because he made the charter of rights of freedom, made minimum wage and also made laws regarding homosexuality, divorce and abortion.

Pierre Trudeau

 “If Canada is to survive, it can only survive in mutual respect and in love with one another “ (Pierre Trudeau 1976).  This quote shows how much Trudeau wanted Canadians to be treated as equals.  Trudeau had a vision for Canada, where all people were treated equally.  Throughout his stay in Parliament he had made huge steps for women's rights, decriminalized homosexuality, attempted to help aboriginal's and made multiculturalism and bilingualism government policies.  Pierre showed through his actions that he valued the equality of all people.  Shown by this quote he feels that Canada will only survive and prosper if all people could be accepted and given equal rights.

Equality in the Canadian Society from 1957-1982 Podcast

 

What is the ideal society?

The ideal society...

1. interesting media
2. equality
3. jobs
4. no consumerism
5. universal health care
6. less poverty
7. free schooling/education
8. recreational centres
9. clean/ecologically-friendly environment
10. sustainability
11. good and sustainable economy
12. peace
13. democracy
14. benevolent (trusty) dictator/leader