CDKW00530 - Pearson’s House of Commons Speech

On 26 May the day before the New York Times ran its piece on the violence on Koje Island, Secretary of State for External Affairs Lester Pearson spoke to the House of Commons regarding the recent move of Canadian forces to Koje. Within this speech, Pearson revealed what had been communicated to Washington—namely, that the brigade should not have been separated, and thus the Canadians expected it to be reunited with the rest of the 25th Infantry Brigade “as soon as possible.” Furthermore, Pearson laid out Canadian expectations moving forward: the company already moved to Koje Island would serve loyally, but the Canadians expected to be consulted about any future division of their forces except in serious emergencies. In response to the entire situation, MP Stanley Knowles perhaps put the Canadian frustration in the most succinct terms: “we are informed but not necessarily consulted.”