Shaped by War, Defined by Peace
Lester B. Pearson, the Suez and the birth of Canadian Peacekeeping
By: Ryan Goldsworthy
Ryan Goldsworthy
Contributing Historian
Ryan Goldsworthy is a published historian and material culture expert from Toronto. He is currently the Museums Manager, Collections & Research for the City of Toronto where he oversees the largest municipal museum collection in Canada. He is an experienced heritage and culture leader and was formerly the Museum Director & Curator of the Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI) for eight years. In his museum career, he has curated over 20 modern exhibitions and galleries, including several for the centennial and aftermath of the First World War. He has served on several museum boards and committees and has enjoyed supervising many students in his work.
Introduction & Background
In the first full-half of the twentieth-century, Canada committed nearly two-million military personnel to Allied war efforts. Following the Second World War (1939-1945), and especially after the Korean War (1950-53), Canada’s role in global armed conflicts underwent significant changes.
In 1956, Canada’s traditional loyalties, and its role on the world stage, were challenged by an international incident half a world away, during an event known as the Suez Crisis. The Suez Crisis was a political confrontation in Egypt that threatened to severely damage US-UK relations and the broader North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance.[1] As a founding member of NATO, Canada was one of the first nations to propose the idea of a transatlantic defensive alliance and its purpose remains as important as ever.[2]
Opened in 1869, only two years after Canada’s Confederation, the Suez Canal connected the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea as the shortest route over water between these seas. The Canal, originally owned by a British and French firm, Suez Canal Company, remains one of the most important trade routes in the world. Indeed, the March 2021 obstruction of the canal cost global trade as much as $10 billion for the one-week blockage.[3]
On 26 July 1956, the Egyptian Government, then-led by President Gamal Abdel Nasser, seized by force and nationalized the Suez Canal Company. Nasser’s seizure of the canal was financially motivated. Following the US’s withdrawal of aid to help fund the Aswan Dam’s construction, Nasser seized the canal and hoped to use shipping tolls to finance the dam’s construction.[4] In response to the US withdrawal, the Soviet Union offered financial aid to Egypt to finish the dam project.
No longer in control of the canal, and fearing the Soviet influence in Egypt, the seizure caused great stress for the British Government who were perhaps overly reliant on the route for the delivery of oil to Britain – about two-thirds of Britain’s oil came through the canal. Though Nasser continued to allow the oil shipments to flow to Britain, the tension caused by the sudden seizure was heightened by the Cold War climate and by Egypt’s simultaneous acquisition of Soviet weapons and support. The situation was exacerbated by lingering regional tensions stemming from the Arab-Israeli War and the establishment of the State of Israel both in 1948.
In the summer and fall of 1956, the United Nations (UN) desperately sought diplomatic resolutions in the Suez, and when all these discussions failed, the “Crisis” began to reach its crescendo. In secret, and without communicating with the US, Canada, or its other major allies, Britain, France, and Israel planned a military operation against Egypt.[5] On Halloween 1956, British and French military forces began bombing the canal zone. Not wanting a full-scale war, the US pressured Britain, France, and Israel to withdraw their forces or face stiff financial sanctions.[6] The Soviet Union took things further, alluding to their possible use oof nuclear arms against Britain and its allies. The world was uncomfortably close to a nuclear war. In a truly inspired development, Lester B. Pearson, then Canada’s Secretary of State for External Affairs and a former President of the UN General Assembly, proposed the original idea to create a substantial, armed, and impartial “peacekeeping force” to intervene in the crisis. The organization and intervention of this force, known as the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), proved to be the successful solution to the crisis. Britain and France accepted UNEF’s intervention and declared a ceasefire on November 7, 1956. For his role in ending the crisis, Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.
Canadian Context
In the summer of 1956, Canada was only three years removed from the end of the Korean War and the coronation its young monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth II was now represented in Canada by the first ever Canadian-born Governor-General, Vincent Massey, a champion of Canadian arts and culture. The Montreal Canadiens had just won their eighth Stanley Cup, and the Toronto Marlboros had won their third Memorial Cup. A Canadian population of 16 million lived in the escalating tensions created by the Cold War and were led by a seasoned Prime Minister, Louis St. Laurent, and his Liberal government since 1948. “Uncle Louis,” as St. Laurent was affectionately known to many Canadians, had been a prominent cabinet minister in Mackenzie King’s government during WWII, and as Prime Minister his government had ultimately determined the nation’s military commitments in the Korean War. St. Laurent was not a political stranger to armed conflict. Following Britain and France’s attack on Egypt in October of 1956, St. Laurent was reportedly “outraged” with the actions, and he was “furious” with British Prime Minister Anthony Eden who he felt had lied to the Canadians.[7] St. Laurent sent strongly worded telegrams to Eden, arguing that the war in Egypt was not only unjustified, but that it could realistically lead to a much larger global conflict, and threaten both NATO and the Commonwealth. In public, the Canadian Government’s response to the October 1956 attack was more moderate, as they merely expressed “regret” that Britain and France “felt it necessary to intervene with force on their own responsibility.”[8] In the context of 1956, the Suez Crisis was a very real and imminent threat to the western alliances and to world peace. It was an event which could have realistically led to another global conflict as the major Cold War powers picked sides.
Lester B. Pearson & Canadian Diplomacy
To help resolve the crisis, Uncle Louis would turn to his experienced Secretary of State for External Affairs (now known as the Minister of Foreign Affairs), and future Prime Minister of Canada, Lester Bowles Pearson. Many Canadians and students today might be most familiar with Peason’s name through the international airport in Toronto or as one of Canada’s distinguished Nobel Prize winners. To better understand Pearson’s contributions to peace and security, we must also unpack his experiences with conflict.
Born 23 April 1897 in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now a neighbourhood in Toronto), Pearson enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 27 April 1915 as an 18-year-old UofT student. He began his professional service as a private with the Canadian Army Medical Corps and later, Pearson, desperate to experience the action at the front during the First World War (1914-1918), became a flying officer in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC).[9] [10] Pearson’s career as a soldier ended abruptly in December 1917, when he survived, but suffered lasting neurological effects of a plane crash and a collision with a London bus only two days apart.[11] As a result of his injuries, Pearson was diagnosed in August 1918 by an army medical board as having “neurasthenia,” or a “partial loss of function to the nervous system,” meaning that he was unfit to fight or fly again.[12] In his memoirs, published in 1972, Pearson recalls the weeks in 1917 that he awaited the medical board’s ruling, “were a time I shall never forget. It was then that I became an adult.”[13] This time was clearly impactful on a 20-year-old Pearson. In the end, Pearson had become disillusioned by the war and the friends it had claimed. Pearson’s wartime service ultimately provided him with a credible maturation experience and perspective on the severe consequences of war and failed diplomacy.
Though he would never fight again, Pearson held a few military-adjacent appointments in the lead-up to and during WWII, perhaps most notably as the second-in-command to Vincent Massey at Canada House in London (1935-1942). In 1938, following British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s ‘Peace in our time’ debacle, and unlike many politicians who celebrated the news, Pearson expressed his grave concerns against Nazism and warned of the war which was surely to come. Pearson’s biographer, John English, summarized Pearson’s letters at this time as “convey[ing] the pessimism of a former soldier who hated the next war that he knew was coming soon.”[14] In Europe, Pearson had a front-row seat to the breakdown of the League of Nations and the hard-fought peace of WWI, and the outbreak of a second world war. Although Pearson did not want another world war, by September 1939, he saw it as necessary for Britain and Canada to oppose Nazi tyranny.[15]
In late-1944, Pearson was appointed as the Canadian ambassador to the US, a prestigious position that he had earned “because of what we had accomplished during wartime.”[16] In December 1944, Pearson delivered a stirring speech at the Canadian Club of Winnipeg. The 9-page speech helps us to understand Pearson’s diplomatic views, as they had been shaped by two world wars, and his hope for what the United Nations could become. With a caution to avoid a third world war, Pearson espoused the necessities for a more sustainable peace in the post-war world and how the foundation of the UN could support that mission. He argued that the UN and its Security Council would be essential to “organizing peace” and “preventing war.” Pearson told the audience that:
“we should think and act internationally… we should concentrate on the peace and welfare of all peoples achieved through international co-operation. Sovereign equality, for instance, is not enough for a country like Canada if every 20 years we have to send half a million men overseas to protect it by dying for it. There must be a better way than that.”[17]
During his war years in Washington, D.C., Pearson was directly involved in the preparations for the establishment of the United Nations.[18] Indeed, he was one of the key diplomats at the UN Conference on International Organization (UNCIO) which resulted in the creation of the UN’s Charter. Canada was one of the original 51 member nations that signed the UN Charter on 26 June 1945. Though Pearson had matured into a fine diplomat who promoted international cooperation as a preventative measure to armed conflict, the very mission of the newly minted United Nations, he still saw armed conflict and armament as a sometimes-necessary road to uphold collective peace and security. Five years after the end of WWII, Pearson, then a Federal Cabinet Minister, was a strong proponent for Canada’s participation in the Korean War – the first conflict sanctioned by the UN. In the summer of 1950, Pearson endorsed the US’s military intervention in Korea, and as part of an influential public statement Pearson would proclaim:
“if that interest in peace is risked in Korea, or any other place, it becomes a matter of immediate concern to the Canadian people: for Canada, in this jet-propelled, atomic, inter-dependent age, cannot by itself cannot remain secure and at peace in a warring world. And so it is a matter of primary Canadian interest, as it is the interest of all free and peaceful peoples, that the collective police action of the United Nations should succeed.”[19]
Despite his involvement with Korea and both world wars, Pearson’s international influence was most pronounced in the post-war world. It would be his contributions to international cooperation and collective peace and security which ultimately defined his impact and his legacy. Curiously, Pearson and the Canadian delegation at the UN were initially on the wrong side of history during the first vote on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in December 1948. The UDHR was originally drafted to constitute “a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations” and it is now the cornerstone of international (and Canadian) human rights laws.[20] Like the formation of the UN itself, the UDHR was devised to prevent a disastrous repetition of the worst offences of WWII. During the first vote on the UDHR by the UN’s Third Committee of the General Assembly, the Canadian delegation, under Pearson’s direction, chose to abstain which put Canada in an ignominious minority group shared with Soviet bloc nations. Various reasons were provided by Pearson and others for Canada’s initial abstention, reasons which included internal concerns about Canadian provincial jurisdiction and possible infringements on freedoms. Three days later, following the backlash from the international community, Pearson readjusted the Canadian position and voted in favour of the declaration, as the UDHR was adopted on 10 December 1948.[21] Canada’s stance on this important UN declaration mattered greatly to the international community.
Aside from his work at the UN, Pearson was one of the key players in the creation and formation of NATO in 1949. In addition to NATO’s primary function as a military alliance, Pearson and the Canadian delegation presented and fought for the inclusion and adoption of Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Article 2, which would eventually be known as the “Canadian Article,” stipulates that NATO members will strengthen economic, cultural, and political ties, beyond military cooperation alone. The objective of Pearson’s Canada Article is to “contribute toward the further development of friendly international relations.” Pearson was a master of diplomacy and he understood the importance of a more fulsome and layered cooperation between allies as opposed to a strict military alliance. During the historic signing of the NATO treaty in Washington, D.C. on 4 April 1949, Pearson stated to all in attendance that “this treaty is not a pact for war, but a pledge for peace and progress.”[22]
It was during the Suez Crisis, however, where Pearson achieved his most well-remembered diplomatic achievement. Indeed, on 3-4 November 1956, at an emergency meeting of the UN General Assembly, Pearson proposed the formation of UNEF to secure and supervise the cessation of hostilities in the Suez. Pearson lobbied tirelessly for the acceptance of his idea, and his proposition was ultimately approved by the assembled members during the all-night emergency session. The UNEF, distinct from previous observer groups, was the world’s first large international peacekeeping force established by the UN – a historic development.[23] Under the command of Canadian Major-General Eedson L.M. Burns, UNEF was given a mandate to secure the removal of British, French, and Israeli troops from the canal zone and to maintain peace in the region.[24] Though UNEF was initially composed of troops from 11 countries, because of Canada’s leading role in its creation, Canada maintained a peacekeeping force in Egypt until May 1967. The reverse of the UNEF service medal awarded to those who served honourably simply reads “In the Service of Peace.” Though Suez was classified as the first UN peacekeeping mission, peace should not be conflated with bloodless, as 32 Canadians in uniform died while serving in Egypt.
Conclusion & Legacy
Although UNEF did not create a lasting peace in the Sinai Peninsula, the force did accomplish its immediate mandate, and it effectively ended the Suez Crisis. Global and nuclear war had been averted. UNEF stood as a vanguard between armed conflict in the region until they were abruptly asked to leave by Egypt in May 1967. It is perhaps unsurprising that war broke out between Israel and Egypt less than a month after the UNEF’s conclusion.
Often described as the “Father of United Nations Forces,” Lester B. Pearson was officially awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 “for his crucial contribution to the deployment of a United Nations Emergency Force in the wake of the Suez Crisis.”[25] The Nobel Committee stated that Pearson had “saved the world,” which may or may not have been hyperbolic. In the wake of these events, Canada rapidly established a reputation and a new identity as a peacekeeping nation. Indeed, in the decades since the Suez, Canada’s armed forces have served overseas most often as peacekeepers. Canada has served in more than 50 peacekeeping missions across the globe.
The road to peace, however, is rarely a linear one. Pearson’s life and career were profoundly influenced by war and conflict, which led to his commitment to establishing an international system for preserving peace. Although he is renowned for his achievements to peacekeeping and international cooperation, he also acknowledged the sometimes necessity of war and the consistent importance of collective security. As an old soldier, he stood tall against the rise of Nazism, he was a strong advocate for the UN’s involvement in the Korean War, and he was an architect of NATO. In 1963, as the Leader of the Opposition and despite Canada’s non-nuclear proliferation policies, Pearson expressed support for acquiring nuclear weapons to fulfill the obligations of Canada’s NATO and NORAD memberships.[26] Conversely, as the 14th Prime Minister of Canada, and despite pressure from our southern ally, he kept Canada out of the Vietnam War. Though he will be remembered most for strengthening the UN and establishing modern peacekeeping, he remains one of the most interesting and influential of Canada’s prime ministers.
The study of war and conflict is an excellent teacher. There is great value to studying military history – Pearson was a historian, but he also lived it. As Margaret McMillan tells us, “If you want peace, study war.” Pearson was shaped by war and ultimately defined by peace.
[1] NATO, of course, is the ongoing military and political alliance between the US, Canada, the UK and other European nations which was formed in 1949 by the western victors of WWII.
[2] Ashley Burke, “Defence minister accelerates 2% NATO spending timeline to 2027 amid pressure from Trump,” CBC News (January, 2025).
[3] Mary-Ann Russon, “The cost of the Suez Canal blockage,” BBC News (March, 2021).
[4] Fred Gaffen, In the Eye of the Storm: A History of Canadian Peacekeeping (Toronto: Deneau & Wayne, 1987), pg. 38-39.
[5] Sean M. Maloney, Canada and UN Peacekeeping: Cold War by Other Means, 1945-1970 (St. Catherines, ON: Vanwell, 2002), pg. 62.
[6] “Suez Crisis,” History.com (November 2009).
[7] Oxford Companion to Canadian Military History, pg. 416.
[8] Jack L. Granatstein and David Bercuson, War and Peacekeeping: From South Africa to the Gulf – Canada’s Limited Wars (Toronto: Key Porter Books, 1991), pg. 193.
[9] Canada did not have a national air force during WWI. The RCAF as we know it was formed in 1924. Canadian pilots of the war served almost exclusively in Britain’s air services: the RFC, the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and the Royal Air force (an amalgamation of the RFC and RNAS).
[10] John English, Shadow of heaven: the life of Lester Pearson, (London : Vintage UK, 1990), pg. 43.
[11] Pearson’s war medical records state that he “had a crash in December 1917 but escaped with a severe shaking up. Two days afterwards, he was struck by an omnibus and his left leg was injured.”
[12] English, pg. 45-46.
[13] Pearson memoirs
[14] John English, pg. 201.
[15] Ibid, pg. 213.
[16] English, pg. 254-254.
[17] Lester Pearson, “Canada and Post-War Organization: An Address by the Honourable L.B. Pearson to the Canadian Club of Winnipeg, Canada, on December 27th 1944,” from the collection of the RCMI.
[18] “Lester Bowles Pearson – Facts,” The Nobel Prize.
[19] ‘Canada and the Korean Situation’, 14 July 1950, in Canada, Department of External Affairs, Statements and Speeches, No.50/26.
[20] See: Mark Bourrie, “The UDHR in Canada: Legal Context.”
[21] For this and a further analysis of Canada’s position on the UDHR in 1948, see; William A. Schabas, “Canada and the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” in McGill Law Journal, Vol. 43:3, September 1998.
[22] “Declassified: Canada and NATO – 1949,” NATO.
[23] Gaffen, pg. 40-41.
[24] “UN Emergency Force (UNEF),” Government of Canada.
[25] “Lester Bowles Pearson,” The Nobel Prize.
[26] “The Nuclear Question in Canada,” Diefenbaker Canada Centre & University of Saskatchewan.