Canada/Ambassador/USSR
 Canada/Ambassador/USSR(Ambassador/the USSR) | |
|---|---|
| The chief diplomatic representative of Canada to the Soviet Union. |
The Ambassador of Canada to the Soviet Union (USSR) was the chief diplomatic representative of Canada to the Soviet Union. Canadian diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union largely followed the British, and later US lead. Canada had limited powers over her own foreign affairs until 1931, and had its own ambassador in Moscow from 1954.
Contents
History
Early Canada-Soviet relations proved to be tumultuous. Canada had participated in the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War,[1] and in general mirrored the hostility towards the Soviet Union demonstrated from Washington and London. Canadian authorities suspected Soviet involvement in Canadian labour disturbances such as the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. Nevertheless, Canada adhered to the Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement of 1921, which meant de facto recognition of the Soviet Union. Two years later, the Soviet Union send its first trade representative to Canada.[2] Relations were severed after the Arcos Raid in 1927.[3] Limited relations were restored in 1929.[4]
The Canadian government suspected Soviet involvement in the Regina Riot of 1935 Besides this, Canada had limited powers over her own foreign affairs until the Statute of Westminster 1931.
Shortly after the Soviet Union joined the Second World War, diplomatic relations were restored, and continued to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991. In 1954, Canada sent its first ambassador to Moscow.
Canada was the first Western country to recognize the independence of Ukraine, due to its large population of Ukrainian immigrants.
Canadian ambassadors to the Soviet Union (1954–1992)
| Ambassador | Start of Term | End of Term |
|---|---|---|
| John Watkins | 1954 | 1956 |
| Arnold Smith | 1961 | 1963 |
| Robert Arthur Douglas Ford | 1964 | 1980 |
| Geoffrey Pearson | 1980 | 1983 |
| Vernon George Turner | 1986 | 1990 |
| Michael Richard Bell | 1990 | 1992 |
Office Holders on Wikispooks
| Name | From | To | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert A. D. Ford | 1964 | 1980 | |
| Dana Wilgress | May 1942 | 4 August 1947 | Ambassador from 1944 |
References
- ↑ Ian C. D. Moffat: Canada and Russia’s Civil War: From Chaos to Nationhood, in: The Journal of Slavic Military Studies, Vol. 32 (2019), No. 4, pp. 567–569.
- ↑ Aloysius Balawyder: Canadian-Soviet Relations between the World Wars, Toronto/Buffalo: University of Toronto Press 1972, pp. 22–45.
- ↑ Aloysius Balawyder: Canadian-Soviet Relations between the World Wars, Toronto/Buffalo: University of Toronto Press 1972, pp. 82–104.
- ↑ Aloysius Balawyder: Canadian-Soviet Relations between the World Wars, Toronto/Buffalo: University of Toronto Press 1972, pp. 105–117.
