The Diefenbaker Statue
During Pauline Browes' term in the House of Commons, she was successful to have two Private Members Motions passed unanimously.
- One was the motion to establish a Park in the Rouge Valley Watershed located on the east end of Toronto. After many decades of work this environmental oasis of 20,000 acres is now establish as the Rouge National Urban Park, which is Canada’s first National Urban Park!
The other motion was to celebrate the accomplishments of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker by having a statute placed on Parliament Hill of the 13th Prime Minister of Canada. [Photo right]. As Canada's 13th prime minister, from 1957 to 1963, John Diefenbaker introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights and extended the vote to include Native peoples. He was also the first prime minister to appoint a woman to the federal cabinet. He served as a member of the House of Commons until his death in 1979.
Pauline was particularly pleased to be able to have the motion accepted by the members of the House of Commons because Mr. Diefenbaker, before he was Prime Minister had visited and stayed at the Drope Century Farm being a friend and House of Commons colleague of Pauline’s father.
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney asked Browes to chair the Diefenbaker Statute Committee tasked with commissioning the statue and two years later in 1986, the tribute to Canada's 13th Prime Minister was unveiled on September 18, the birthdate of Prime Minister Diefenbaker.
Prime Minister Diefenbaker legislated the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1960. In his speech on July 1, 1960, he made the following statement:
Pauline Browes - Chair; Leo Mol - artist who designed the statue.
unveiling, Sept. 1986
In attendance: Prime Minister Mulroney, former Prime Minister Turner, Carolyn Weir - Diefenbaker's step-daughter & John Weir - grandson of Diefenbaker
“I am Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, free to choose those who govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” (John Diefenbaker, House of Commons Debates, 1 July 1960)
A miniature replica of the statute now sits as one of the prized pieces in the Spirit of Canada Gallery.