#John G Diefenbaker

[royally-obsessed]

On this day in 1961

Commonwealth Prime Ministers

16th March 1961. Queen Elizabeth II poses with Commonwealth ministers at Buckingham Palace here March 16th where all attended a dinner shown in the photo are: (left to right) President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker of Canada, Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd (rear) of South Africa, Prime Minister Jawaharial Nehru of India, President Mohammed Ayud Khan of Pakistan (rear), Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Roy Welensky (rear) of Rhodesia, Prime Minister Sirimava Bandaranaika of Ceylon, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (rear) of Britain, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, Archbishop Makarios, President of Cyprus, and Prime Minister Keith Holyoake of New Zealand.

[celibatairemaisnondisponible]

“…free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country…” ~John G. Diefenbaker

[bechdelexam]

note to self look more into the king-byng affair from a less biased source than the right honourable john g. diefenbaker

[vox-anglosphere]

Canada's 13th Prime Minister was born in this quiet Ontario village

[hibiscusbabyboy]

"Dief!" (William Canning, 1981)

[crownedlegend]

Queen Elizabeth II hears her own voice while visiting the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, July 6, 1959.

She spoke into the phone and immediately heard what she said. Maj. Lenox Lohr of the museum explains the process.

Between Lohr and the Queen are Prince Philip and Canada's Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker. (Edward Kitch/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

[4libertylover]

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong.

John G. Diefenbaker

[poetrex]

Ok, Max... I enjoy your knowledge of military history and trivia, so #21. And #25 because I’m curious.

21. You're put in charge of the National Shipbuilding Strategy for the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard. What are your procurement priorities over the next three decades?

OK, first—sorry I took so long to answer this! I know you enjoy history and trivia—and that's good, because there's a fair bit to unpack here. Apologies for the jargon.

So. The National Shipbuilding Strategy. I hate it, thanks! Specifically the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC)—it's pork barrel politics on the most massive scale to build large warships in Canadian yards at such an inflated price. I suppose there's an argument to be made for building them at home, but I don't buy it. Icebreakers and offshore patrol vessels yes, but multirole patrol frigates? Far cheaper in foreign yards. So we're going back in time a few years and install yours truly as the (fictional, fanciful) Czar of Canadian Shipbuilding.

Let's start with the basics. Why do we need a Navy and Coast Guard, and what do they need to get the job done right?

Canada is a capital-M Maritime Nation. We border three oceans and have the world's longest coastline. 90% of international trade in bulk travels by water—it's always been the cheapest, easiest way to move heavy goods (as Norman Friedman is fond of saying, it costs less to move a car from Yokohama to New York by sea than to move a similar car by rail from Detroit). Guess who exports some bulky products? Canada. Guess who relies on the regular delivery to ice-free ports of produce and finished goods to maintain a high standard of living? Almost everyone on earth at this point. I live on a boggy rock in the North Atlantic—without maritime trade, it's a starvation diet of cranberries and moose-meat for me and my family. That's why you need a Navy—to secure fair access to the global commons, and to regulate and enforce the sustainable harvest of marine resources, for Canada and the world. You can raise, train and equip an army in under a year from scratch if you need to, but you can't wish a navy into existence out of thin air—modern warships can take ten years or more to build, and they are expensive. So let's talk fleet architecture and procurement strategies.

Icebreakers! We need them urgently, in all sizes but especially a Heavy Icebreaker. The proposed CCGS John G. Diefenbaker should have been a priority for domestic shipbuilding—it was intended to replace the Louis S St.-Laurent, which launched in 1966 and should've retired two decades ago. This need will only become more pressing as a warming Arctic makes the Northwest Passage a more viable route for international shipping.

Forget building the CSC at home—order frigates from European yards, or plan on piggybacking the USN's FFG(X) project. I'd probably take a dozen or so British-built Type 26s.

I've seen the Harry DeWolf-class Arctic / Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) derided as a 'slushbreaker' but she's not bad. Would I like a thicker hull? Sure, but the additional costs aren't worth it, not for her RCN job description—I'd rather prioritize icebreaker capability in CCGS vessels. She's already pricey for an OPV, but it leaves Irving Shipyards something to chew on (I'm not completely unswayed by political arguments for domestic construction).

Joint Support Ships. Because Vancouver's Seaspan yard needs some love too, and because underway support and logistics is sexy.

Finally, Submarines! Our aging Victoria-class boats ought to be replaced, ideally by nuclear-powered subs capable of under-ice operations. Now that n-word's a hard sell, and not just to the Canadian public—the idea's been floated in the past, but nobody's especially keen on exporting their SSNs (and we can't build them here). So we'll likely have to settle for diesel boats—6 at a minimum to ensure operational availability, since you can expect 2 out of 3 vessels to be in maintenance or refit at any given time. I like SSKs but recent advances in Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) notwithstanding, they can't do sustained polar ops, which is where a lot of... interesting stuff happens underwater (Russia knows the contours of our Arctic shelf far better than we do, for instance. And what was that mysterious Ping in the Hecla and Fury Strait?) So what do we need subs for? Well, partly I just think they're neat. No navy is complete without a subsurface component. They're deadly in war but what they really excel at in peacetime is surveillance. When Spanish trawlers were violating our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) during the 'Turbot Wars', it was our Oberon-class boats (along with CCGS vessels) that played a key role in collecting the evidence needed to chase them down in international courts. Additionally, operating submarines means we're part of the international waterspace management system through which foreign navies are obligated to inform us of submarines operating in or near our waters, which is also nice to know.

Phew! That was an earful, I hope I didn't put you to sleep. I could go on but I probably shouldn't.

25. If you could instantly master any language, which would it be and why?

Mandarin. I love the history and culture and literature of China. I have a few friends in Taiwan that I chat with from time to time. Someday I’d love to visit. I’m also fascinated by China’s naval development and would like to be able to read military publications in Chinese.

[dailyoverview]

Several jets are parked outside a hangar at the John G. Diefenbaker International Airport in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. With two runways, nine passenger bridges and three ground-loading positions, the airport handles just under 1.5 million passengers per year. By contrast, the busiest airport in Canada (Toronto Pearson International) handles nearly 50 million passengers annually.

Instagram: https://bit.ly/2okZYZm

52.169389°, -106.681472°

Source imagery: Nearmap

[glaciernps]

1960 Governors’ Conference

On June 26-29, 1960, the Many Glacier Hotel hosted the 52nd annual Governors’ Conference. Except for those from Pennsylvania and Hawaii, all US governors attended, including those from Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. 

The hotel had to install special telephone facilities in the lobby for use by the 73 news agencies and representatives covering the conference. The principal speaker at the State Dinner on June 27th was John G. Diefenbaker, the prime minister of Canada. During their stay in the park, General Motors supplied the visitors with 60 white Cadillacs and 140 Chevrolets, as seen in the top photo.

[exxenceindia]

Canada will be reopening more airports to international fights starting on November 30, the same day that passengers and crews will have to prove that they are fully vaccinated if they want to depart from a Canadian airport.

“Increased vaccination levels have allowed us to safely re-open these additional Canadian airports to international passenger flights,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said in a media release. “This measure will help ensure that travellers are able to access more regional airports for their international travels this winter, while continuing to support the Government of Canada’s measured approach to re-opening our border.” The eight airports that are reopening include:

• St. John’s International • John C. Munro Hamilton International • Region of Waterloo International • Regina International • Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International • Kelowna International • Abbotsford International • Victoria International

www.exxenceindia.com

[decksandtreks]

Our nephew, #ZabeTheBabe, in the @aircanada Maple Leaf Lounge in Saskatoon with his mother, @tlessar, and his father, @waspbeebs, waiting to board the plane for his FIRST flight to spend Christmas with uncles @brahmkornbluth and @kevinessar, and his grandma and grandpa. We are teaching him to fly correctly ... at the front of the plane. See you soon! (at Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CX13EkyPlgA/?utm_medium=tumblr

[martinberthelot]

My after work walk lead to this view of the #UnityTower. #Ottawa (at John G. Diefenbaker Building) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bme-V7CnW2-/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cc11hhl9s623

[rielpolitik]

TRUE NORTH: How the Deep State Overthrew the Last Nationalist Government of Canada….in 1963 - By Matthew Ehret

TRUE NORTH: How the Deep State Overthrew the Last Nationalist Government of Canada….in 1963 – By Matthew Ehret

Source – canadianpatriot.org “…The reason for this coup d’état in 1963 (not coincidentally, the same year America’s last great nationalist leader was assassinated) had a lot to do with the Northern Vision and National Development Policy of Canada’s 13th Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker who fought valiantly to take over the Bank of Canada and led the Conservative Party to its first victory in…

[newstfionline]

Thought of the Day

“Freedom is the right to be wrong; not the right to do wrong.”—John G. Diefenbaker