Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Lester B. Pearson.
The Nobel selection committee said that Pearson had “saved the world” when he diffused the Suez crisis through the creation of the United Nations Emergency Force.
The concept of peacekeeping changed the world and Canada's role in it forever.
For Lester Pearson, the Nobel was only the beginning of a lifetime of contribution and achievement.
As prime minister, Pearson operated strictly within the confines of a minority government and yet he changed this nation too: the Canadian pension plan, loans for students, a new flag, a bilingual nation and health care for all.
Known to history as Lester, beloved by a nation as Mike, Pearson shall be forever known as one of the most influential Canadians of the last century.
On this day, I invite my colleagues in the House to proudly remember the contribution and the legacy of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson.