Discourses of North and Political Elites

Discourses about the North had not been restricted to the realm of culture. The political elites were as well-versed in appealing to a northern heritage, a common history that would essentially unite and, more important, guide Canadians in their collective struggle of negotiating a national identity. Northern imagery permeated the rationale of high-level as well as second-tier officials in the Canadian government and External Affairs establishment. Below you find examples of Northern discourse in the writings and speeches of Lester B. Pearson, John G. Diefenbaker, Louis St. Laurent, Escott M. Reid, and R. A. J. Phillips.