The Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy

Progressive Dialogue and Policy for a Better Canada

Lester B. Pearson’s impressive record

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April 22, 2013

Lester B. Pearson’s impressive record

By Justin Trudeau

Merci Rachel et James, merci a tous et toutes ce soir qui sont ici pour souvenier un homme extraordinaire qui a marqué l’histoire du Canada comme tres peux des gens.

We are of course surrounded tonight by tremendous eminent historians and people with strong memories of that period who will talk about the tremendous accomplishments of Mr. Pearson and the Top 20 list is a great example of it.

I want to set the tone by going back a little more than 50 years ago, by going back to the election of 1958 when the Liberal Party received what was up to that point the worst drubbing in its history. We were absolutely devastated by Mr. Diefenbaker receiving the strongest majority this country has ever seen..till Brian Mulroney…when we received the second worst drubbing we had ever seen!

Our latest situation, being a paltry 35 seats in the House of Commons, leads me to draw back to our history and to some of the challenges we faced in the evolution of the Liberal Party of Canada.

For those of you who may have watched my campaign you might know I draw an awful lot on Prime Minster Laurier and his sunny ways. That is something of a deep motivation to myself. But I think it is worth going back to the moments that followed the 1958 election when Lester Pearson stood before his much diminished caucus, when he said:

Rather proclaim it, ,
That he which hath no stomach for this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
He that shall outlive this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian:’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say ‘These wounds I had on Saint Crispian’s day.’
He’ll remember what feats he did that day
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; (paraphrased from Shakespeare, King Henry V)

The Liberal idea is one that endures, because of the giants in our past but also because of those of us, who through hard work, belief and trust that can work together so we can be better and be more.

In the coming weeks and months and years in which the political challenge will be, once again, to build a Liberal Party that will earn the confidence and trust of Canadians. We will perhaps be able to establish a list, as good as any one of the great achievements of Lester Pearson that we celebrate tonight. That would be a worthy reason to pull together and be inspired by those who contributed so much to building not only the Liberal Party but building this extraordinary country from which we benefit so much.

Justin Trudeau is the Leader of the Official Opposition and Member of Parliament for Papineau.

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