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Wawrejko, Adrian

University of British Columbia

This thesis analyses the Committee for an Independent Canada and its role in promoting Canadian independence during the 1970s. Following the Second World War, a concern arose about the independence of Canada from the growing economic and cultural Americanization of Canada. This led to a number of criticisms from several politicians, intellectuals, and outside groups from the late 1950s. However, these objections tended to be largely partisan and there was an absence of a unified and comprehensive approach to tackle the issues of Americanisation and the impact it had on Canadian sovereignty at both the federal and provincial levels. The formation of the CIC in 1970 would change that. This thesis argues that the Committee actively engaged in the discourse surrounding independence by engaging with a wide spectrum of actors and organizations at both the federal and provincial levels. It had both a national executive and local chapters throughout the nation, which helped the CIC in promoting independence. Nationally, it formulated policies for economic and cultural independence, engaged with federal politicians, and participated in the Royal Commission on the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. Locally, the CIC formulated alliances, engaged with provincial governments, and launched campaigns for independence. The Committee’s efforts aimed to establish a pan-Canadian coalition, garnering greatest support from Ontario and Western Canada.

Text

2023-12-18

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86971

History

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/