1.2. Conservative Party’s Minister of Defence wanted protection against communist aggression in Canada
1.3. Bombarc missiles had already been purchased from USA, and nuclear warheads were needed to utilize them
1.4. Needed nuclear weapons to fulfill its duty in NORAD and NATO and strengthen USA-Canada relationships
1.5. Would ensure MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) and discourage nuclear attack by another country
1.6. AGAINST
1.7. Conservative Party’s Minister of External Affairs felt it was hypocritical to urge United Nations to work for disarmament while accepting nuclear weapons
1.8. Nuclear war could easily amount to global suicide, leading to the deaths of millions and worldwide destruction
1.9. Having nuclear weapons would make Canada an international threat/target, defeating the peacekeeping stance it aims to hold
1.10. Extremely costly; nuclear weapons were mainly USA foreign interests, and it would be better to spend the money on Canadian interests
2. Canada's Role in the Cuban Missile Crisis
2.1. FOR
2.2. Canada allied with USA in NORAD; expected to assist when asked without hesitation to prevent damage to trade and defence relationships
2.3. All other NATO members supported a blockade and promised to help USA if needed; Canada pressured to do so as well
2.4. Canada was also threatened by the possibility of attack, as the missiles could reach its major cities within a short period of time
2.5. Geographically between USA and Russia, so if war between the two superpower countries in possession of nuclear weapons occurred, Canada would be hurt in the process
2.6. AGAINST
2.7. Prime Minister Diefenbaker believed he was protecting Canadian interests and independence while maintaining a balanced stance in crisis positions
2.8. Canada didn’t need to be drawn into a major conflict mainly revolving around US policy and interests regarding Cuban independence
2.9. USA photographs weren’t enough evidence of missile-launch sites, so a fact-finding Canadian mission would be smarter and more peaceful
2.10. Canada reluctant to accept nuclear weapons, and assisting USA by placing NORAD forces on alert meant allowing nuclear weapons into the country
3. Bombarc Missiles
4. The Scrapping of the Avro Arrow
4.1. FOR
4.2. Saved lots of money for the government; cost of construction had risen from $2 million to $12.5 million per plane
4.3. Cost six times more to produce than its American counterpart, and not even the Canadian Air Force wanted to buy it
4.4. No foreign orders for the Arrow; it didn’t look like it was going to sell, and the company producing Arrows was very disorganized
4.5. ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) could make manned jet fighters obsolete
4.6. Wasn’t as good as advertised; although big and fast, it was short on range and bad at dog-fighting (short-range aerial combat)
4.7. Joining the NORAD and buying the Bombarc missile were higher priorities; the Arrow wasn’t compatible with systems used by either one
4.8. AGAINST
4.9. Over 15000 workers lost their jobs suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving them nowhere to go; big blow to Canada’s aviation industry
4.10. Many of the best and brightest scientists went to the USA to work for NASA and develop their industry instead
4.11. Most advanced aircraft in the world at the time; by cancelling it and destroying the prototypes, Canada lost what may have been its only chance at being a world leader in aviation
4.12. Cost for development was already essentially spent, and it cost a lot to destroy the project
4.13. Designed to meet the requirements of the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force), which it did; would have served as the primary interceptor
4.14. If a Soviet attack were to occur, the Arrow would be an efficient way of stopping it
