Lester B Pearson's Road to Development

Abstract

During the 1950s and 60s, Lester Pearson came to see international assistance as central to Canada’s constructive international engagement. Yet how Canada’s greatest diplomat became a key architect of, and advocate for, international assistance remains relatively unexplored. This paper aims to chart the evolution of Pearson’s thinking regarding international assistance, in a presentation organized chronologically around the major chapters of Pearson’s career. It enhances the narrative of a storied political career, consolidates Pearson’s thinking on a critical issue and provides historical insight relevant to contemporary official development assistance policy-making.

Keywords: Canada, foreign aid, international assistance, international development, Lester Pearson, Pearsonian diplomacy, Pearsonian internationalism