The Duel by John Ibbitson

Author:John Ibbitson [Ibbitson, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Published: 2023-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

VII

On June 18, 1990, Nelson Mandela stood before the combined houses of Parliament to thank the people of Canada. He had been free for only four months, after spending twenty-seven years in prison for his leading role in opposing apartheid in South Africa. But apartheid was finally crumbling, as President F.W. de Klerk and his former prisoner had begun the protracted dance that would lead to free elections four years later and to Mandela becoming South Africa’s first Black president. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney didn’t try to hide his pride as Mandela thanked Canada for its leadership in rallying the world to condemn the suppression of Black South Africans. Joe Clark, who, as Mulroney’s secretary of state for external affairs, had also pushed to isolate South Africa despite resistance from Ronald Reagan in the United States and Margaret Thatcher in Britain, was every bit as proud. Three decades before, as young conservative activists, Mulroney and Clark had been inspired by the leadership of John Diefenbaker, who made Canada the first member of the “old Commonwealth”—read “white Commonwealth”—to confront the evil of apartheid.

Commonwealth leaders had agreed to meet in London in the first week of May 1960. Top of mind, though it was not even officially on the agenda, was the issue of South Africa, which was about to hold a referendum on becoming a republic. Everyone expected the white population, who alone were allowed to vote, to vote Yes. Black South Africans had no say in their future. With Elizabeth no longer South Africa’s queen, the new republic would have to apply for readmission to the Commonwealth. The white, developed nations were inclined to say yes to a country that had been a valuable ally in two world wars. But the newly independent African and Asian members were understandably determined to say no. The conflict threatened to tear the Commonwealth apart.

Whenever an intractable issue presented itself, Diefenbaker preferred to delay deciding, hoping that the passage of time would reveal a path forward. This was especially true of the South Africa question because his own government was split on the issue, with the secretary of state for external affairs and his secretary of cabinet on opposing sides. Diefenbaker’s foreign minister was Howard Green, whom the prime minister appointed after Sidney Smith—who left his position as president of the University of Toronto to take on the task—died suddenly of a heart attack. Green was not a natural fit for External. He had never travelled to Washington and was so devout that he neither smoked nor drank nor worked on Sundays. But Green was loyal, capable—as public works minister, he cleaned out the patronage and pork that had festered for decades in that department under the Liberals—and shared Diefenbaker’s conviction that the best way to counterbalance growing American influence was to strengthen ties with Britain. In this case, that meant supporting the Union of South Africa’s readmission to the Commonwealth, which Harold Macmillan and Australian prime minister Robert Menzies both favoured. On the

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