Churchill on Canada
20th July 2010 by Andrew Needs, Ottawa | 1 Comment
It is hard to believe that it was six months ago that we arrived in Ottawa. I figured the first six months were going to be very demanding as you tend to accept almost every invitation, make a lot of introductory calls and, of course, spend considerable time reading into issues. Having Prime Minister Key visit Ottawa during that time brought a lustre and focus to that early period.
I did realise, however, during my week off last week, that I had not read a book for pleasure in that first six months. With a week out of the office and, more or less, away from work, I sought to remedy that. Political history is my leisure reading of choice, so I curled up with “Christmas in Washington”, which chronicled the three weeks over Christmas 1941 when Winston Churchill was President Roosevelt’s guest at the White House as they hammered out key elements of the allied strategy for defeating the axis powers. Eleanor Roosevelt was not really a fan of Churchill so I suspect his side- trip to Ottawa part way through the visit was a welcome relief. During that visit, Churchill addressed the House of Commons and also, famously, posed for photographer Yousuf Karsh, in the Speaker’s Chamber. It is a magnificant portrait and hangs today where it was taken almost 70 years ago.
Churchill visited Canada seven times in total and mainly during the war years. He was in no doubt as to the contribution Canada was making to the wider effort through the contribution of material, soldiers, money and, with its huge open and conflict free spaces, the perfect environment for air training. Australia and New Zealand likewise made major contributions and sacrifice.
While through ANZAC Day and Vimy Ridge Day, Australia, New Zealand and Canada tend to focus on World War I as the anvil upon which their modern identities were forged, the Second World War is now the most significant conflict within living memory, and of course it claimed more lives in total. It was also the basis upon which the United Nations was formed. Canada, Australia and New Zealand remain committed to a strong multilateral path and we continue to work closely in the UN context today.
And as for Churchill: consumate politician or cigar smoking curmudgeon? He was, in my view, a towering figure of the twentieth century. He also had no reticence about lauding the role Canada played from 1939-45.
So the story goes: a woman approached Churchill who was in an apparent state of inebriation. “Sir, you are DRUNK!” she thundered. “Yes, madam,” he replied, “and you are ugly, but at least I shall be sober in the morning.”