1960’s Canada Notes

Prime Ministers
John Diefenbaker, Prime Minister (1957-1963) Conservative
Lester B. Pearson, Prime Minister (1963-1968) Liberal
Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister (1968-1979) Liberal
Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-G-Diefenbaker
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lester-B-Pearson
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau

Economy
Canada’s economy was stable, if not prosperous in the 1960s. After the Korean War, and with
the start of the Vietnamese War, prices were quite level. War often does help economies, as it
creates jobs and generally creates new technologies.
Canadian Museum of History:
https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/pensions/cpp-a52-dl_e.html

The Canadian Bill of Rights

In August of 1960, the House of Commons passed the Canadian Bill of Rights. This bill
guaranteed civil rights and freedoms for all Canadians. It was the country's first federal law to
protect human rights and freedoms, and was considered groundbreaking. This bill was a major
step for Canada towards becoming the country it is today.
The Canadian Encyclopedia:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-bill-of-rights
VIU History:
https://www.viu.ca/viu-history/1960s-time-line

Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway opened in September of 1962. It is the longest highway in one
country in the world, and it runs from St John’s to Victoria. It cost over a billion dollars and
wasn’t fully completed until 1970.
History Museum:
https://www.historymuseum.ca/blog/trans-canada-highway-opens/

The Front de Libération du Québec

The Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) was a militant group focused on making Quebec
independent and socialist through violent means. It was founded in the early 1960s and was
considered a terrorist group by the Canadian governemnt. FLQ conducted over 160 violent
incidents, killing eight people and injuring many more. The Montreal Stock Exchange bombing
of 1969 is the most famous FLQ act that took place in the 1960s.
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_de_lib%C3%A9ration_du_Qu%C3%A9bec
The Canadian Encyclopedia:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/front-de-liberation-du-quebec

The Vietnamese War

Canada had a minor impact on the Vietnamese Warm in the 1960s. Canada sold war material to
America, and 30,000 Canadian troops fought in the war, and at least 134 did not return home.
Canada also deployed peace-keepers in Vietnam. Our impact and the effect of the war on Canada
was more than most would expect.
The Canadian Encyclopedia:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/vietnam-war
CBC:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lost-to-history-the-canadians-who-fought-in-
vietnam-1.3304440

Trudeaumania
Trudeaumania began in the mid to late 1960s. Many Canadians, especially women, identified
with Pierre Trudeau, as he represented the mindset of your average Canadian citizen of the
1960s. He was young, had charm, was good-looking and had a laid-back personality, and
through this he was able to establish a large fanbase nationwide. He often signed autographs or
posed for photos in public. He was Liberal, and under Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, as
Justice Minister, he legalized homosexuality and created made divorce laws more flexible. His
quote “The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation,” is very famous. He was elected
Prime Minister of Canada in 1968, and remained in that position until 1979.
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trudeaumania
UBC Press:
https://www.ubcpress.ca/trudeaumania
CBC:
Law Society of Saskatchewan:
https://www.lawsociety.sk.ca/throwback/the-state-has-no-business-in-the-bedrooms-of-the-
nation-throwback-thursday/

Montreal Expos
In 1968, Major League Baseball introduced a new franchise, Canadian’s first team in
professional baseball, the Montreal Expos. The Expos were supposed to generate a large amount
of income for Montreal and Canada, however the Expos failed to do that from the start. In their
first season, 1969, the Expos only won 32% of their games, finishing with a record of 52 wins to
110 losses.
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Expos
SportsTeamHistory:
https://sportsteamhistory.com/montreal-expos