September 18, 1895 John G. Diefenbaker is Born
John G. Diefenbaker was born on September 18, 1895. His family was living in Neustadt, Ontario. His father’s family had come to Canada from Germany, and his mother was descended from a Scottish settler.
John’s family moved to Saskatchewan and eventually settled in Saskatoon. He went to the University of Saskatchewan, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1915 and a master’s degree in 1916.
John entered the army and was a lieutenant during World War I. After his service, he received his law degree in 1919 and opened his office in the town of Wakaw. He was made King’s Counsel in 1929.
In addition to being an attorney, John Diefenbaker ran for the Canadian House of Commons and the Saskatchewan legislature. He lost many elections, but continued to run. He was eventually elected to the federal House of Commons representing the riding of Lake Centre, and later was elected to represent the riding of Prince Albert. Note: A riding is similar to a district.
John Diefenbaker was chosen as the leader of the Progressive Conservatives in 1956. The party did not expect to win the 1957 election, but John Diefenbaker fought a very hard campaign. The Progressive Conservative Party won the election with John Diefenbaker becoming the first Conservative prime minister elected in more than twenty years. He was also the first prime minister of Canada who did not have a family ancestry that was either French or English.
Under Prime Minister Diefenbaker, the Canadian Bill of Rights was passed, and the vote was given to First Nations people. He also spoke out against apartheid. John Diefenbaker worked very hard to get bills passed that were considered social legislation. Pensions for old age, pensions for the blind and disabled, loans to depressed areas, and federal hospital insurance, are just a few of the things that John Diefenbaker’s government sponsored.
Economic problems, unemployment, and an issue concerning the arming of missiles from the United States caused problems for the government of Prime Minister Diefenbaker, and he was replaced in 1963. He continued to serve in Parliament for a few years and later served as chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan. He died in 1979 and was buried in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Now, go on to the matching activity on the next page, where you will match the prime minister with the year he/she first served.
©2017 Bonnie Rose Hudson WriteBonnieRose.com Matching
Match the prime minister to the first year that he/she served. You will notice that there are three years listed twice. There were two prime ministers who served in each of these years, so the years will all be used.
_____1. Alexander Mackenzie a. 1867
_____2. Arthur Meighen b. 1873
_____3. Brian Mulroney c. 1891
_____4. Joe Clark d. 1892
_____5. Sir Wilfrid Laurier e. 1894
_____6. John G. Diefenbaker f. 1896
_____7. John N. Turner g. 1896
_____8. Justin Trudeau h. 1911
_____9. Sir Mackenzie Bowell i. 1920
_____10. Kim Campbell j. 1921
_____11. Lester B. Pearson k. 1930
_____12. Louis S. St. Laurent l. 1948
_____13. Paul