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PIERRE ELLIOT TRUDEAU

• 1968 – Trudeau elected Prime Minister

• Trudeau wants Canada to be less dependent on the USA (Independent Foreign Policy) .

• Under Trudeau Canada made decisions that were not supported by the US:•Officially recognized the People’s Republic of China•Removed all nuclear warheads from Canadian Soil•Cut Canadian forces in half•Reduced Canada’s defense budget

PIERRE ELLIOT TRUDEAU

WHY DID CANADA RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA?

Canadians realized that China was a major world power and an important

trade partner.

WHY DID TRUDEAU DECIDE TO MAKE CANADA'S MILITARY SMALLER AND NON-NUCLEAR?

He hoped that by scaling back Canada’s participation in the nuclear arms race, he would ease tensions between the two alliances (NATO and WARSAW)

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR UNDER TRUDEAU• 1968 - Trudeau created the Canadian

International Development Agency (CIDA).

• CIDA promoted tied aid: Countries receiving aid from Canada had to promise to use it to buy manufactured products from Canada.

• Colombo Plan: to provide aid to poor countries.

Canada’s foreign aid increased from $277 million in 1967 to $2 billion in 1984.

SLEEPING WITH AN ELEPHANT …

“Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No

matter how friendly and even tempered is the beast, one is affected by every twitch and

grunt.”

PROMOTING PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING• Established sport and trade links with

communist countries.

• Trudeau believed that the northern countries had a responsibility to help the impoverished countries of the south. • The wealthy countries should provide aid to, and purchase goods from, poor countries. This policy was called trade and aid.

1972 SUMMIT SERIES