Chapter 9
Letters to the Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson's great political strength was that he was manifestly

human. His humanity was so apparent and so real that large segments of

the Canadian population felt that they could communicate directly with

him, even if it was to work off their anxieties and frustrations. The

masses of letters which were received by him in Parliament confirmed

how generally accessible citizens and even outsiders believed him to be.

This accumulated information and opinion, this outcry from many

hearts, enlarged his sympathetic understanding of his country. It

augmented his personal authority and his resolve, and frequently in

caucus Pearson would startle his supporters with some telling and apt

reference to a letter he had "just received," from some angry person,

from some child, or perhaps, from some acknowledged authority. On

occasion the letter had an effect counterproductive to that intended by

the writer. Nevertheless, whatever was written was read; it contributed to

the breadth of Pearson's appreciation of the problem and thus helped

shape government policy.

His flag correspondence made Pearson shockingly aware, as perhaps

no other Canadian was aware, of the sharp cultural and linguistic divisions

prevailing and of the impending sociological conflict within the nation.

Arthur Lower was right—Canada was sick with hatred. Highly

disturbing to Pearson was that much of the hatred came from his own

kind of people.1

In addition to the speeches delivered in Parliament and the letters and

editorials in the daily press, one must read a sampling of the letters and

telegrams to the prime minister during the 1963-65 period in order to feel

what the battle for Canada's flag was all about. As in the earlier eras of

Mackenzie King great masses of material were received from organized

interest groups such as the Loyal Orange Order, the Royal Canadian

Legion and the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire.

Sometimes these messages were direct and stern, but seldom were they

abusive or insulting. Indeed, Pearson was favored with a considerable

number of respectful letters and telegrams expressing the views of

various Progressive Conservative Associations from across the land. Not

infrequently a Conservative would sign some flag petition form and then

sit down to write the Liberal prime minister a very personal letter, man to

man. In these letters there was little hypocrisy and no subterfuge.

Oddly enough, the French element of Canada stood mute. Letters

which were written in French tended to be much more formal and

respectful than those written in English. There are some letters from

Roman Catholic clergy, French and English and these, as might be expected,

were characterized by reserve and restraint. Not so some of the

communications from the Protestant pastorate. Here one finds disarming

frankness and often even familiarity. Altogether there is a

remarkably direct quality in the letters written to Pearson from the

"white AngloSaxon Protestant" element of Canada. Expression is

uninhibited and highly revealing. It is clear from all the letters written

about the flag that Canadians did care about symbols. One senses the

passion behind the words. Oftentimes it appears a case of white or black.

To the letter writers Pearson was either a hero or a villain. He was

either the best prime minister Canada had known or the worst. Canada

was to be united under a new dispensation or to be divided forever. There

was the ringing of the new—a new heaven and a new earth. Others saw

only the ringing in out of the old. Everyone recognized the event as

momentous. Canada was at some sort of historic crossroads—"to be or

not to be."

These extracts culled from Pearson's correspondence speak for

themselves.2 Here is one from a French community on the prairies:

Gravelbourg, Sask.

May 20, 1964

Félicitation pour votre initiative de nous donner un drapeau

canadien. Compte sur notre appui total et vive le Canada.

Then read another from an Englishspeaking town in British

Columbia:

Ashcroft, B.C.

August 12, 1963

The People who made Canada Great are the members of the

Armed Forces. . . .

Not the people who stayed at home and shirked and a large

proportion were French Canadians encouraged by their

church. . . .

It is making us bitter that Canada is so gutless that the Prime

Minister will listen to a few noisy Quebecers who have done