The Cuban missile crisis was perhaps the paramount event for Canadian international relations during the Diefenbaker administration; when the administration’s incompetency in international matters became most apparent and Canada’s allies in NORAD and NATO began to questions Canada’s loyalty to their alliances. The personal feud between Diefenbaker and American President John F. Kennedy, the Canadian government’s inaction in what was the closest the world has ever come to nuclear war, and Canada’s limited response to the crisis all contributed to Canada’s allies questioning how prepared or willing Canada was to contribute to the defense of their alliances in the face of the ever-present Soviet threat. The origins of Canada’s reluctance to participate …show more content…
Part of Diefenbaker’s hesitance in participating in the military blockade of Cuba was due to Canada wishing to act as an intermediary between the two countries and attempting to prevent an escalation of the crisis, as Diefenbaker was certain Kennedy was willing to risk nuclear war over the crisis (Zorbas, “A Red in Tory Affairs”, 12). Diefenbaker was also worried about alienating Cuba and losing Canadian business assets on the island, which would be bad for Canadian banks and businesses (Zorbas, “A Red in Tory Affairs”, 6). However, due to Canada’s close relationship with the United States both economically and militarily, it would likely have been impossible for Canada to both act as an intermediary in the crisis and to continue to operate unimpeded within the country. This mistake by the administration is another example of the ineptitude that ruined Canada’s excellent international image during the post-war …show more content…
The cancellation of the Avro Arrow, Canada’s troubled modern-age fighter interceptor, showed that Canada was no longer capable of providing complete protection of itself against the new threats of the cold war without support from America and Canada’s NATO allies. The subsequent introduction of the Bomarc missile to fill the gap in Canadian airspace left Canada with an ineffective anti aircraft missile and a crisis of faith over nuclear proliferation that was at least partially responsible for the end of the Diefenbaker government after it was discovered the missiles would be completely ineffective without a nuclear payload. The Bomarc also showed to Canada’s allies that Canada was incapable of defending itself without oversight and intervention from the American military. The ineptitude of the inexperienced conservative ministry of external affairs brought Canada from the previous age of prestigious international responsibilities and roles into a new role of diminished international participation that backtracked from and destroyed the tremendous progress made by the previous Liberal governments in establishing Canada as a reputable international power. The Cuban missile crisis was the penultimate catalyst of Canada’s fall from grace in the international community,