Preview

The Cancellation of the Avro Arrow

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3263 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Cancellation of the Avro Arrow
The success of the Avro Arrow was unique and groundbreaking for Canada, and its ultimate cancellation lead to many questions and speculation as to why the program was prematurely halted. The declassification of government documents has shed some new light on the events leading up to the cancellation of the Avro project; however; it is a legacy that will endure.
The charges and countercharges regarding the decision are as diverse as life itself. This paper delves into the issues and the processes that surrounded Diefenbaker during the period in which he was contemplating the continuation or cancellation of the Avro Arrow project, the implications this would have on his government and the factors that led to his ultimate decision. It would appear on the surface that when Prime Minister Diefenbaker won the election in June 1957 and took control of a government and a country it was in a time of relative peace and stability. Overall, there was a strong economic outlook and high morale within the general population. In fact, what Diefenbaker found was that the defense budget had escalated well beyond any reasonable figure, and there were insurmountable management challenges particularly with communication issues surrounding the Avro Arrow project. These pre-existing conditions, compounded with the change in power, and new government mandates, was the direct hit that took out the Avro Arrow program and led to its cancellation and eventual destruction.
Following the end of World War II, a new source of conflict was at the forefront of government decision making. Political leaders were cautiously observing the escalation of tension between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics into what is known as the Cold War. As an ally of the U.S., Canada was keenly aware that its security was strongly linked to the security of its superpower neighbour. During this post-war period, Canada experienced economic booms with a significant portion of the



Bibliography: Campagna, Palmiro. Storms of Controversy: The Secret Avro Arrow Files Revealed, Toronto: Stoddart Publishing, 1992. Lukasiewicz, Julius. “Canada 's Encounter with High-Speed Aeronautics” Technology and Culture, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Apr., 1986). Muirhead, Bruce. Dancing around the Elephant: Creating a Prosperous Canada in an Era of American Dominance 1957-1973, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007. Peden, Murray. Fall of an Arrow, Toronto:Stoddart Publishing, 1978. Robinson, Basil. Diefenbaker’s World: A Populist in Foreign Affairs, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989. Shaw George, The Legend of the Arrow, http://dewit.ca/archs/avro_shaw/index.html, Retrieved, October 13, 2008. Stewart, Greig. Shutting down the National Dream: A.V. Roe and the Tragedy of the Avro Arrow, Toronto: McGraw –Hill Ryerson, 1997. Story, D.C. and, Bruce Shepard. eds The Diefenbaker Legacy: Canadian Politics, Law and Society Since 1957 Canadian Plains Research Center: University of Regina, Diefenbaker Canada Centre: University of Saskatchewan, 1998. Story, Donald, and Russell Isinger, eds. “The Origins of Cancellation of Canada’s Avro CF-105 Arrow Fighter Program: A Failure of Strategy,” The Journal of Strategic Studies Vol.30 No.6 1025-1050 (December 2007). Whitaker, Reginald. “Review: [untitled]”, Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue canadienne de science politique, Vol. 13 No. 2 396-398 (June 1980).

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The development of fire control and the missile system by Canada was cancelled by the government as an effort to reduce the cost; and the attempt to sell to the United States also failed. On February 20, 1959, the project was cancelled, and its cancellation was followed by the order to destroy all plans and prototypes of the Avro Arrow. Although the Avro Arrow would have benefited Canada, the government still chose to proceed with the cancellation of the project. This was a bad move by the government, due to the facts that 14000 jobs were lost in the process, money already spent on the project was lost, and many skillful Canadian engineers were lost to American space programs.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The push to create the Avro Arrow arose due to the perceived threat of faster and more efficient planes being created in the Soviet Union. At this time in history the Soviet Union was in a Cold War with Western Nations including Canada. Canada’s goal was to create a plane that was more maneuverable and faster in order to beat the Soviets at their own game. This goal was accomplished with the invention of the faster and more advanced Avro Arrow which was more than capable of doing the job. Unfortunately, Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker cancelled the project. The publicly mentioned reasons for this were due to out of control development costs and a decrease in demand for other nation purchases as the USA had developed their own next generation war fighter at the same time. However, the cancellation of the Avro Arrow was a poor decision as it had detrimental effects on Canada. Canadian growth, nationalism, and military were all amongst those institutions affected.…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Avro Arrow Essay

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Since the dawn of mankind, humans have always wanted to conquer the skies. After the Wright Brothers first flight, mankind has dreamed of bigger and better aircrafts. Shortly after World War ll a company named Avro Aircraft Limited was assigned the job by the Royal Canadian Air Force to build supersonic twin engine interceptor which could defend Canada against Soviet Bombers during the Cold War. With a plant in Milton, Ontario and 14 000 employees, Avro Aircraft Limited built and manufactured ones of the greatest planes in aviation history. The plane was a masterpiece; it flew at nearly mach 2 and had futuristic technologies which would match up to planes from today. The Avro Arrow program turned out to be a huge waste of the effort and money, as it was cancelled less than a year later. There can be many reasons why it was cancelled but the biggest was the immense pressure put on Diefenbaker by President Eisenhower and the United States Air Force. Other reasons could be because of its huge price tag, a new emerging era of anti-aircraft technologies, or the fact that it had many little flaws in its design. Terminating the Avro Arrow program was the right and smarter thing to do by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and his Conservative Government.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    McNamara, W.D. “Why does Canada need armed forces?” 2002. Conference of Defence Associations Institute. 4 Mar. 2009 http://www.cda-cdai.ca/medialetters/macnamara3.htm…

    • 4379 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this essay, I will be discussing the cancellation of the Avro Arrow and how it had affected Canada enough to be considered as a memorable moment in this country’s history. It had impacted Canada because of the fact that its cancellation was one of the biggest disappointments in Canada’s history due to the fact that it seemed to be the beginning of a new age of innovation that had only applied to Canada This could have been another way for Canada to assert their individuality as a country, but all that came of it was pile of scrap that had taken ten years (1949 - ‘59) out of thousands of people’s time and left even more unemployed. The explanations behind the scrapping of the planes that were offered to the public proved to be unsatisfactory, and many people are still speculating on the reason behind the cancellation today. I will also be discussing why the Avro Arrow should not have been cancelled, and why the reasons given for the scrapping were unsatisfactory.…

    • 549 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Malcolmsom, Patrick and Richard Myers. The Canadian Regime. 3d ed. Broadview Press, (2005): 132- 36.…

    • 3508 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As one of Canada’s most prominent historians, Jack Granatstein regularly comments on historical questions and public affairs in the media, including issues such as foreign and defense policies, Canadian-American relations, the military and public service. In his book Who Killed Canadian History?, Granatstein continues his tradition of scholarly discussion on the progressively increasing deterioration of Canadian history. It is because of this dire state, as Granatstein argues, that Canadians have such a fragmented view of themselves, and subsequently national unity remains obscure.…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    how did war change canada

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The act of warfare has never been and will most likely never be celebrated and perceived as a beneficial act for humanity. In most instances throughout history, the act of war has represented loss of life, a loss to great for any wartime triumph to overcome. Despite the negative connotations that warfare implies, a nation which goes through a major war can often emerge positively transformed. The Second World War represents a colossal juncture in Canada’s history as a nation. The war propelled Canada into the latter part of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century as one of the prodigious, western industrialized nations. From an economical standpoint, the Second World War ignited Canada’s ascension into a fully modern and mechanized country. Furthermore, the war changed the social landscape of Canada, fully transforming the roles of women and evolving the immigration policy, which eventually lead to Canada becoming one of the most culturally diverse and interracial nations by modern accounts.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Any discussion regarding the defining moments in Canada’s history must include the infamous October Crisis of 1970. Occurring throughout the province of Quebec, particularly in the metropolitan areas of Montreal, the socio-political implications of this affair were so significant that its effects can still be felt four decades later. However, many tend to overlook the substantial role that the media played in shaping the series of events that would eventually culminate in the first, and only, peacetime usage of the controversial War Measures Act and forever smear the relationship between Quebec and the Canadian government. Although many only see the major players as the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) and Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau and his federal government, the media played such a large role in sensationalizing the events and making tangible goods out of abstract concepts – such as civil liberties and public safety – that it should be considered its own entity in its entirety.…

    • 1860 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: Francis, R.D., Jones, R., Smith, D.B. and Wardaugh, R., Destinies: Canadian History Since Confederation. 7th Ed. Toronto, Thomson, Nelson, 2012…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Canada played an important role in the 1950’s and 60’s, the years containing historical political change. After the Cold War had begun, Canada was forced to make quick and logical decisions, the impacts were felt from all over the world. Canada’s tremendous participation in the three major conflicts within the Cold War the Korean War in which they helped from stopping the escalation of the war, the resolution of Suez Canal Crisis with Canada’s contribution the crisis did not turn into a large battle and was immediately solved and their aid and guidance in the Vietnam War. Canada, because of their participation in the peacekeeping of many countries, and the constant help throughout the Cold War played a key role on the world stage in the 1950’s…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pierre Trudeau's Reforms

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages

    All through his career in politics, Pierre Trudeau was able to introduce skills through which he was able to break all the barrier. It’s evident that Pierre Trudeau was an ideal political figure in Canada because he progressively fought to keep Quebec in Canada, helped the growth of Canada’s independence internationally, and passed many acts and laws that guaranteed the safety and freedom of Canadians. Therefore, Pierre Elliot Trudeau was the most significant post-WWII prime minister because his innovative policies assisted the growth of Canada as a…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As mentioned earlier, he is an American who was drawn to Canada for its “very Pearsonian” diplomacy and despite this country’s faults he “still loves this place” (Attaran 216). Also the author’s respect for Lester Pearson is very inspiring and evokes positive emotions for Canada and the image it portrays. Attaran uses Canadian cases of global trade, corporate, health and human rights laws to persuade his audience; describing the negative direction the Canadian government has adopted to address these affairs. Canada prides itself on their commitment towards their Human Rights but Attaran informs us of Canada’s refusal to sign the “enforced disappearance treaty” (Attaran 219) and of the government’s ignorance to protect its citizens. Here he enforces the idea that Canada’s government sees their country as an “exceptionalist” nation and this evidence leaves the audience feel angry at the government, guilty and even embarrassed by their actions that are disgracing Canada’s brand. Finally, He suggests ways Canada could improve their diplomacy, which would benefit all of Canada economically and socially (Attaran 221). The author explains, “A diplomatic corps that can better understand foreigners and explain Canadian actions to them will better advance Canada’s political and economic interests abroad” (Attaran 220). This strong structure not only increased the author’s ethos but also it…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The distrust between the Western World and Communists, as well as the conditions after WWII caused the Cold War to begin. From 1946 to 1991 a mass arms race rose and Canada was stuck in between the grudge of capitalism and communism. The Cold War affected Canada through Canadian citizens fear of being nuked, sexism against women and the unfair treatment towards communists & socialists.…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kim Richard Nossal, The Politcs of Canadian Foreign Policy Third Edition, (Prentice Hall Canada Inc., Scarborough, Ontario, 1985), 71…

    • 2704 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays