Talk:John Diefenbaker

John Diefenbaker is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so.
This article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page as Today's featured article on July 1, 2010.

A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the On this day... section on February 20, 2005 and February 20, 2006.

• 1 Friendship between Diefenbaker and Eisenhower
• 2 Clark Eulogy
• 3 Order of Merit or Companion of Honour ?
• 4 Military Service
• 5 Vandalism
• 6 Exclusion from Clark cabinet
• 7 Inaccuracies On This Page
• 8 First PM with military service?
• 9 Fair use rationale for Image:Diefenbaker Time Magazine.jpg
• 10 Orange Order
• 11 Honorifics
• 12 Avro Arrow Paragraph Expansion
• 13 Iraqi ambassador's residence
• 14 Just an oversight?
• 15 Article improvement
• 16 Birth/Death Dates
• 17 References
• 18 Pronunciation?
• 19 A couple of things
• 20 Phrasing quibbles
• 21 Additional points
• 22 Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• 23 Legacy section

Friendship between Diefenbaker and Eisenhower

I am wondering about this sentence: "Diefenbaker became prime minister when Eisenhower was president and the two fostered one of the strongest friendships between American presidents and Canadian prime ministers." I am not disputing it, but wonder on what it is based. What evidence is there that this friendship was "one of the strongest" of any American president and eCanadian prime minsiter" HistoryBA 14:44, 22 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Diefenbaker became prime minister when Eisenhower was president in 1957. The two were friends over the years and they both kept touch, even after leaving office (Eisenhower in 1961, Diefenbaker in 1963). [Contribution made by SNIyer12 on 24 May 2005.]

I understand that their terms overlapped and that the writer of this part of the article believes that they were close friends. I am asking what evidence there is that this friendship was "one of the strongest" of any president and prime minister. Does Diefenbaker say this in his memoirs? Have Eisenhower's aides commented on their closeness? HistoryBA 23:02, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

I would refer you to page 157 of "One Canada: Memoirs of the Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker, Vol II". There is a description of Diefenbaker's friendship with Eisenhower. Quoting... "I might add that President Eisenhower and I were from our first meeting on an 'Ike-John' basis, and that we were as close as the nearest telephone." He then goes on to share a personal letter from Eisenhower. Reading on in the chapter one reads about the rather acrimonious relationship he had with Kennedy, and the reasons for it. A good example of Kennedy's legendary ego and ill feelings for Canada and Britian. --Mf135gas 05:02, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for taking the time to check this out. HistoryBA 13:55, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

Clark Eulogy

Can anyone provide evidence to support this statement: "Joe Clark became the first prime minister to eulogize another during the burial services"? 70.48.170.216 23:19, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I just finished watching an episode of Canada: A People's History, and if it's possible I would like someone to add a bit about how the Voice of Women played a big role in the whole Nuke decision. I would have, but I'm afraid of messing up the article. Also, the article can be constured as misleading, the part about "Dief's refusal to allow nukes into Canada", from what I understand, he was on the fence and the VoW was what changed his mind.

Other than, great article.

Order of Merit or Companion of Honour ?

The wiki page on the Nickle Resolution states that Dief was made a Member of the Order of Merit and the Trudeau was a Companion of Honour, however on Dief's postnominals it says CH instead of OM. Which is correct ? Dowew 20:17, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Military Service

Dief never made it to France. He never saw action in the trenches. As much as I loved him and his Vision for Canada, I cannot let this go misreported in the article. For validation, see "Rogue Tory" by Denis Smith, ISBN# 0-921912-92-7. Dief claimed an injury whilst in training in England, spitting blood, and was discharged back to Canada where he was further judged unfit for Military Service due to heart irregularities. I have corrected that article to reflect this reality. (Posted by TrulyTory, 3 December 2005)

Can 16 months in the Army truly be considered "brief"? Granted he never saw combat but it seems strange to say that, considering he did become an officer.

Vandalism

Someone anonymously made a few changes; someone who's less new to Wikipedia should revertt it, I'm not sure how to do it.

Exclusion from Clark cabinet

Any sustantiation for the claim that this was controversial? Diefenbaker was 83 and frail when Clark assumed the premiership, and I don't recall there being any serious discussion of his inclusion in cabinet. - Fishhead64, 05 Feb 2006

I'd be curious about the seating. Members are seated in proximity to the speaker by precedence, although everyone in cabinet is seated in the front and second rows around the prime minister, closeness to the PM roughly determined by precedence again. Was Diefenbaker assigned a seat near the Speaker, or out in the middle as close as possible to Clark without being among the cabinet ministers?

And yes, Diefenbaker did have a seat in the 31st Parliament - one of the last photos taken of him was of him sitting at his seat in Parliament, which had not yet been called into session. Presumably, after Clark's cabinet was sworn in on June 4, the house officials started figuring out where everyone would be sitting and attached their name plates. GBC (talk) 00:52, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

The photo I looked at last night shows him standing at the side opposite the Speaker of the eighth desk from the Speaker in the front row, so the sixteenth seat from the Speaker. So I imagine it is the latter. Presumably not too close to Clark as the two did not get along. I don't think anyone would have expected him to be in the Clark cabinet, he was 83 and apparently suffered a mild stroke during the campaign though his people covered it up by saying he had gotten the flu.--Wehwalt (talk) 12:49, 21 December 2009 (UTC)

Inaccuracies On This Page

Edna Mae Brower was born in 1899, not 1901.

Between his election to the Wakaw Town Council in 1920 and his election to Parliament in 1940, Mr. Diefenbaker was a losing candidate in five elections. They were: the Federal Elections of 1925 and 1926, the Saskatchewan Provincial Elections of 1929 and 1938, and the Prince Albert Mayoral Race in 1933. He never ran for office in Alberta.

Mr. Diefenbaker first mounted a campaign for Leader of the Conservative Party in 1942, and lost to John Bracken in the Convention of that year. The Leadership Convention was not held in 1943.

Mr. Diefenbaker's courageous stand against apartheid took place at the 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, not the 1962 Conference. PeterNixon 00:12, 9 December 2006.

As a matter purely of style, I can't tell from reading the early list of accomplishments whether Dief founded or abolished the Economic Council of Canada. It sounds as if he should be credited with founding it, but the verb immediately before it is 'abolished', with reference to the Avro Arrow program. Maybe the note about the ECC could be moved to before the mention of the Avro Arrow? The decision about the ECC is not mentioned elsewhere on the page, e.g. in the description of Dief's time as PM. Johndgregory (talk) 03:55, 27 September 2008 (UTC)

First PM with military service?

Was Dief the first Canadian PM with military service? None of the previous PM's articles mention any time in uniform. --SigPig |^{SEND - OVER} 07:37, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Diefenbaker Time Magazine.jpg

Image:Diefenbaker Time Magazine.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 02:23, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

The current content of the page does not allow for a meaningful fair use rationale, as the issue of Time Magazine is nowhere discussed. I've furthermore downgraded to B-class, because this article lacks in-line citations completely (which is a prerequisite for A-class). Sorry. Errabee 13:44, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Orange Order

This page is in the 'Orange Order' and 'Orangemen' categories, but doesn't say that Diefenbaker was an Orangeman. I know nothing about the guy, but the page should either mention he was in the Orange Order or be removed from those categories. --Helenalex 20:02, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Honorifics

I am not sure that the listing of the | honorific-suffix = PC CH QC LLD (hc, McM) LLD (hc, StM) LLD (hc, UBC) LLD (hc, UNB) LLD (hc, PU) LLD (hc, UofT) LLD (hc, UW) LLD (hc, QU) LLD (hc, Dal) LLD (hc, MUN) LLD (hc, WLU) LLD (hc, UA) DCL (hc, Sask) DCL (hc, UWO) MA LLB BA FRSC FRSA in the infobox works well. I have moved these here to preserve the information. Comments? FWIW Bzuk (talk) 15:31, 25 November 2007 (UTC).

Avro Arrow Paragraph Expansion

The Avro Arrow paragraph would be strengthened with an examination of the causes leading to its cancellation. It should be noted that, had they been re-elected, the Liberal Party would have canceled the program. While criticisms were made by the Liberal opposition regarding the way in which the cancellation, they did not criticize the decision to do so. The program was eating up an increasing proportion of the defence budget. The cost of the planes had increased five-fold from that originally budgeted to the manufacturing costs when the program was terminated. There were no international buyers. Interestingly, the Avro Arrow had never been flight tested with both the Iroquois engine and its weapons system. PieterGordon (talk) 20:00, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Be aware that the decision was Diefenbaker's alone, that the issues were complex and no consensus is possible about the actual details behind the decision. If you are referring to former Liberal Cabinet member C.D. Howe's post-election statement, remember that he was no longer in government. Pearson made no commitments one way or the other about the continuation of the Avro Arrow or its related programs. The Hansard accounts specifically rebute your statement about the lack of Opposition criticism, especially in the aftermath of the cancellation. The "cost factor" was never brought up in the months leading to the February 20, 1959 cancellation, rather that appeared in the days after the decision and are only obliquely cited in the PM's speech that day. Interestingly, RL-206 was nearly ready for test flight but the government reneged on an announcement that the Arrow/Iroquois program would be reviewed at the end of March 1959. The company continued to work on readying the first Arrow MK 2 before the entire program was unceremoniously "scrapped." The government's contention that the Arrow was unnecessary in the wake of missile attacks had led to the purchase of Bomarc anti-aircraft missiles. FWiW Bzuk (talk) 20:27, 22 July 2008 (UTC).

While the decision was indeed Diefenbaker's it is clear that the St. Laurent Government had, in light of the vast increase in expenditures on the project, began to scale back the program, including lowering the potential number of squadrons to be outfitted, as well as the initial order of planes to be built. The Chiefs of Staff Committee of the armed forces had begun to question whether, in light of the limited number of aircraft to be completed, the costs would yield appropriate defence returns. In 1958, ultimately, they, along with the PC Defence Minister Pearkes, recommended the cancellation of the program. In a letter to Pearson a month before the cancellation, CD Howe reiterated his post-election statement, declaring that the Arrow should be terminated, and the PC Government attacked on its handling of the decision. It is also important to note that, at the cancellation of the program, the Arrow story was regional; it was only later that it became a national concern, at which point the legend and mythology began. While there is room for criticism in how the Diefenbaker Government and its predecessor handled the project, and the PC line that military considerations were ultimately behind the cancellation, the decision to cancel was quite logical given the economic considerations. PieterGordon (talk) 20:01, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

The issue of cancellation is a complex one but it was ultimately made by Diefenbaker with advice from but not necessarily consensus from defence and industry sources about the decision. Dief's decision was a significant one in that it negatively impacted the aerospace industry in our country for decades. The underlying issues stem back to longstanding Progressive Conservative antipathy for the previous Liberal government's "pet projects" which included the Seaway, oil pipelines and the Avro Arrow. What was not considered was that Pearkes was persuaded that the role of manned interceptors had been diminished. Contrast his support for the Arrow/Iroquois projects both prior to and post-1958. His visit to the Pentagon did much to shake his resolve in continuing with the Avro CF-105 Arrow. C.D. Howe was not elected in the 1957 election, and his comments were in start contrast to those of Paul Hellyer, the defence critic whose post-cancellation remarks can be found in Hansard records. The actual costs for the cancellation were neither "logical" nor "economically feasible." First the government was forced to pay out cancellation fees, the Avro Aircraft and Avro Orenda companies lost 15,000 employees while a further 40,000 jobs were affected in the "supply chain" of support companies all over Canada. The role of military aircraft design and production was severely affected as A.V. Roe Canada represented the largest industrial complex in the country at the time. The immediate ramifications of the cancellation was the loss of Canada's industrial and technological resources as many of the staff were lost for good; a group of Avro engineers went to NASA, many more of the 2,000 technicians and engineering staff left the country for jobs in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. After 1959, the RCAF never procured a Canadian-made design while indigenous aerospace technology was set back for over two decades until the Bombardier concern emerged from the remnants of the Canadair company. By 1961, the entire A.V. Roe company which had been the third largest industrial complex had collapsed. Politically, the Arrow cancellation can be seen as not only partisan but an ill-considered expedient that marked the decline and eventual end of Diefenbaker as a political force. The immediate economic repercussions of the cancellation led to the Progressive Conservative party's loss in countless elections in the "Golden Triangle" (a phenomenon that continues to this day). From that point on, through the "Night of the Long Knives," every decision, especially in the arena of national defence was challenged and with a series of mistakes regarding nuclear issues, led to Dief's defeat at the polls. Most poignantly, in 1961, the RCAF obtained F-101 Voodoo fighters (the very design that was rejected 10 years earlier) to undertake the same role that the Avro Arrow would have fulfilled; the Voodoo remained in service for approximately 30 years. Diefenbaker delayed the decision to acquire the Voodoo since his earlier acceptance of Bomarc missile defence had proved not only to be highly controversial (the missile only carried nuclear warheads but also proved to be an expensive failure) while equipping the RCAF with the Voodoo would have tantamountly led the public to perceive that the original decision to cancel the Arrow was in error. In his last years, Diefenbaker referred to the Arrow cancellation as a form of "watermark" of his years in office; he never came out with an formal statement of regret but in his memoirs and in speaking to colleagues and close confidants, he tacitly admitted that the whole affair was a disaster that had begun to undermine cabinet and public confidence in him. The final disgraceful act in the Arrow cancellation was the secret destruction of the aircraft, as well as all records of the project. Acting upon orders in council, Crown Assets undertook a scrapping of the aircraft that removed any possibility of the company being able to "save" the project or even salvage some aspect of the programs. Orders that were issued to the Dassault company for Iroquois engines were cancelled by the government while efforts to provide flyable examples for supersonic research at Farnborough were also summarily dismissed. The only viable Avro contracts remaining were for experimental VTOL aircraft designs that had been financed by the U.S. military. In a twist of fate, the Pentagon also proposed that the XF-108 Rapier be purchased by the RCAF to replace the cancelled Avro Arrow, in direct contradiction to the concept that manned interceptors were no longer needed. After 1959, Canada only purchased U.S. military equipment with the CF-5, CF-101, CF-104 and CF-118 (Hornet now reaching its 30th year in service with the Forces). FWiW Bzuk (talk) 17:57, 30 July 2008 (UTC).

Iraqi ambassador's residence

Weeks before his death, Diefenbaker was indignant that very near his home, in the Rockcliffe neighbourhood, the Iraqi ambassador had a middle-east style wall built around the property. Diefenbaker strutted around nearby one day during news coverage of the controversy. Diefenbaker said that when Parliament met in the fall of 1979, he would demand in the House that the wall be demolished. Whether anyone took up the cause after his death is not known to me. GBC (talk) 00:58, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Just an oversight?

I was reading this article about the St Lawrence Seaway turning 50 this year, and saw the following -- "The seaway held its official opening ceremony on June 26, 1959. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower and prime minister John Diefenbaker sailed through the seaway and St. Lambert Lock on the royal yacht Britannia........." Very interesting report, so in an effort to learn more I followed my nose to our St Lawrence Seaway article and discovered it says "Queen Elizabeth II and President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally opened the Seaway........". No mention of Diefenbacker, which I thought was curious, to say the least. Comments? Kaiwhakahaere (talk) 21:59, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

In the event of a head-of-state being present, the official party representing Canada would be Queen Elizabeth II. FWiW Bzuk (talk) 22:04, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Aw shucks, shoudda guessed. Kaiwhakahaere (talk) 00:05, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Article improvement

Hi, it is my intention to thoroughly work over the article with a view towards getting it to FAC in early 2010. Collaborators welcome.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:53, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Birth/Death Dates

Most prime ministers have it as mf=yes for the birth/death date parameters. Perhaps we should change it to that? Connormah (talk) 16:56, 25 December 2009 (UTC)

I had changed that ... while WP:MOSDATE says you can go either month first or day first, I find that day first is far more common in Canada. I would suggest leaving it. None of the Canadian prime ministers have made FA. Yet.--Wehwalt (talk) 17:51, 25 December 2009 (UTC)

Really? Month first (M/D/Y) is far more common here, I live in Canada...and all of the other prime ministers use a MDY format, should we conform to those? Connormah (talk) 22:17, 26 December 2009 (UTC)

You surprise me. Whenever I see a document from Canada, it seems to have a day month year. However, I guess popular usage is otherwise. What are your views on British versus American spelling, though?--Wehwalt (talk) 22:35, 26 December 2009 (UTC)

Maybe just government documents, but MF is used more casually, in books, etc. I don't really take note to spellings much. Connormah (talk) 23:50, 26 December 2009 (UTC)

Maybe it is just the government, plus Quebec of course.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:59, 26 December 2009 (UTC)

What do you think about the infobox dates in the article? DF or MF? I'll get you to decide. Connormah (talk) 01:08, 27 December 2009 (UTC)

I think we should be consistent. One Canada, after all. Month first! I just wrote the final years section and I am really starting to like this guy. He just never gave in, never forgave or forgot.--Wehwalt (talk) 01:50, 27 December 2009 (UTC)

References

A references section would be useful, with Diefenbaker books, movies, and records listed.70.29.78.233 (talk) 19:13, 30 December 2009 (UTC)70.29.78.233 (talk) 19:39, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

He did do the one record, of speeches as I recall. But his books are listed in the biblio section (oh, he probably did a ghostwritten book or two while party leader, but that hardly counts. I'm not sure there's enough there to be worth it.--Wehwalt (talk) 19:20, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

Yes, there are records of his speeches, but also many songs that refer to him. Two are "Dief Will Be the Chief Again" by Stringband and "Die, Dief, Die" by the Vulcan Dub Squad. There is also a group called "Diefenbaker".70.29.78.233 (talk) 20:07, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm familiar with the first one. But I really don't think they are relevant to a biographical article on Dief, especially one that is going to be fairly long. It could be lumped into a separate article, Popular depictions of John Diefenbaker, along with the dog, the character in Bimbos of the Death Sun nicknamed after Dief, and so forth.--Wehwalt (talk) 20:18, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

Pronunciation?

Perhaps it might be wise to add a pronunciation in the lead? Connormah (talk) 23:27, 4 January 2010 (UTC)

Possibly, but how do you do it in a way that is helpful to the reader? I don't really believe IPA, however accurate it is, is helpful. I did mention it in a footnote how it is pronounced, or at least the last two syllables, which is what gives people pause who are not either of Dief's era or Canadian.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:20, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

That should be good. Connormah (talk) 00:24, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

A couple of things

The lead refers to Dief as an "attorney". Why is this term, not used by lawyers in Canada, used here? Unless there is some reason, it should be changed to "lawyer" which I will do unless there is objection. The article cites Peter C Newman as saying Dief did 62 jury trials in one year. Surely not. I doubt that there were that many jury trials in the whole province in a year. Does someone have access to Newman's book to see whether this claim is actually supported by Newman's book? --KenWalker | Talk 05:49, 12 January 2010 (UTC)

I own the book. I am presently traveling and will doublecheck when I get home. It did seem high, but God only knows what went on in Saskatchewan in 1920. I will change "attorney" to "lawyer" whereever it occurs, it is my American ignorance thinking they are synonymous. Many thanks.--Wehwalt (talk) 09:11, 12 January 2010 (UTC)

The quote from Newman is "During his first year, he handled sixty-two jury trials, winning about half of them."--Wehwalt (talk) 04:57, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I would generally consider Newman a reliable source but I would bet a buck didn't do 62 jury trials in a year, perhaps in his career, but in a year, no way. --KenWalker | Talk 03:11, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Wilson and Wilson, Diefenbaker for the Defence gives no figure, but does mention him representing five of fourteen farmers charged with fraud, he got acquittals before a jury in all five, but his were the the least involved defendants. That kind of thing could run up the score.--Wehwalt (talk) 03:29, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

Phrasing quibbles

In the introduction, it states "...his family trekked west to the portion of the Northwest Territories...". Did his family actually trek out to the west, or did they travel there as most others did? (If they did trek there, do we have a source for it?)

Other potential tweaks in the intro:

• For the sentences "He became a lawyer, and contested elections through the 1920s and 1930s. He had little success, until he was finally elected ..." could we merge them into one, perhaps as "...1920s and 1930s with little success, until..."?
• "After entering the Commons..." -> "Thereafter..."?
• "his poor relations with US President John F. Kennedy in part led to his downfall" -> "his poor relations with US President John F. Kennedy contributed to his downfall"

I'll add other suggestions as I read each section. Mindmatrix 22:15, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

They took the train. Is your point is that they didn't walk? Dare I mention Star Trek? I've changed it to "migrated west".

I'll merge the sentences.

Excellent on the Kennedy, I'll do that. Thanks for the help.--Wehwalt (talk) 22:17, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure "Thereafter" is the best way to start the paragraph. I changed the opener to "In the House of Commons"--Wehwalt (talk) 22:23, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

You're right about "thereafter"; it was a poor choice. Regarding "trekking", there was a general westward migration of Canadians from the 1880s onward via several methods, so I wanted to ensure this was clear in the text. Mindmatrix 23:12, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

It wasn't worth inserting in the text, but the main reason they went west is that William Diefenbaker had some sort of lung condition and he was told the air out there would be good for his health. I wonder if he felt that way when temps dropped to -40,--Wehwalt (talk) 05:05, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

More tweaks:

• In Aspiring politician, there's a long, awkward sentence near the end: "Although in the 1925 federal election..."; could we invert bits of it to remove a comma, for example "Although the Conservatives had won the largest number of seats in the 1925 federal election, Mackenzie King continued...". And perhaps, largest -> greatest.
• In Early life, the phrase "told his mother at the age of eight or nine that he would some day be Prime Minister" should have a citation. Is it the same source as the one that occurs later in that paragraph (for "She would live to be proved wrong")?
• In Perennial candidate, we should change the phrase "Eleven names, including Diefenbaker's, were placed in nomination" to "Eleven names were nominated, including Diefenbaker's." or "Eleven people were nominated, including Diefenbaker.". Or have I missed the reason for this phrasing?

More to come. Mindmatrix 23:12, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Those things have been done. Thank you. Looking forward to more.--Wehwalt (talk) 05:05, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Additional points

I see that NormanEinstein has added a link to the Diefenbunker. Other info that may be of relevance:

• 1926 by-election for Prince Albert electoral district (on 1926-02-15), mentioned in the article, in which WLMK's only opponent was a local farmer and ex-WWI flying ace (David Luther Burgess) who ran as an independent; the date is useful, the fact he had one opponent may be relevant, the actual name may not be
• in Mandate (1958–1962), there is the claim about the Avro Arrow that it "had suffered from many cost overruns and complications", but there's no ref for it; also, the transition from Avro to civil liberties seems abrupt
• in Return to opposition, the statement He dismissed the adopted design, with a single red maple leaf and two red bars, as "a flag that Peruvians might salute". has no supporting reference

Other than that, this article seems complete and comprehensive. I've done a complete review, and conditional on the above (with your discretion for the first point listed) I'll add my support to the FAC. Mindmatrix 03:35, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

I added the date. I think it trivial to add the name of the independent candidate; the point is to establish Mackenzie King as the Liberal MP for Prince Albert and set up the race. The article is about Diefenbaker, and he did not run (at the time, it was the custom not to run an opposing major party candidate when the leader ran in a by election, either because he had lost his seat or because he had to be confirmed as minister (Canada kept that until 1939). I moved the Avro into the Eisenhower Years section; the Bomarc and Arrow are all tangled up, so it makes sense to have it there. I added cites as required, hoping you will support once you look at it. Thanks for the review. If you do support at FAC, please mention that you reviewed the article on the article talk page, you'll give it more weight.--Wehwalt (talk) 19:14, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online

Good point on removing my external link to the article on Dief in the Dictionary -- sorry I didn't look closer before I did it. What do you think of including it in the bibliography? I suggest this because I think it's a very valuable source, being written by his primary biographer AND being super-easily accessibly by virtue of the fact that it's online. As well, because it's buried in the footnotes it might slip by many readers. -- The Fwanksta (talk) 04:53, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

That is fine, just make sure it is alphabetical under Smith and uses the same citation format as the other references. Many thanks,--Wehwalt (talk) 11:51, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

Done. Hope the formatting is to your specifications. -- The Fwanksta (talk) 16:19, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

Excellent, thanks. I'm picky about MOS issues because I don't want to see articles I've worked hard on deteriorate.--Wehwalt (talk) 16:32, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

Totally fair. This is an excellent article, which is a nice change of pace for Canadian history on Wiki -- something I'm hoping to help change. Hope to perhaps work with you in the future. Cheers. -- The Fwanksta (talk) 18:21, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

I'll let you know if I do another Canadian article. I also got Canadian federal election, 1957 to FA. Many thanks.--Wehwalt (talk) 18:30, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

Legacy section

"By the end of 1963, the first of the Bomarc warheads entered Canada, where they remained until the last were finally phased out during John Turner's brief government in 1984."

This sentence contradicts CIM-10 Bomarc (sections "Canada and the Bomarc" and "Operation") which states that the warheads were phased out twelve years earlier. --Voyager (talk) 09:56, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Source said June 30, 1984. Do you have an actual source (not a WP article) which says otherwise? Many thinks,--Wehwalt (talk) 11:38, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Both the Canadian Air Force [1] and the Air Defense Radar Veteran's Association [2] say it was in 1972. --Voyager (talk) 12:49, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

By the way, I'm currently translating this article into German. --Voyager (talk) 12:50, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Well done. I will dig up my copy of Nash and look at the exact phrasing.--Wehwalt (talk) 13:24, 13 July 2010 (UTC)