CANADA: Prepared Positions

After six days of debate, in which the Tory opposition hammered hard at the government's seemingly soft policy toward Communist China (TIME, April 5), External Affairs Chief Lester ("Mike") Pearson last week gave a careful summary of Canada's current foreign policy. Pearson, the main target of the opposition attacks, executed a neat withdrawal to prepared positions, going out of his way to assure Parliament that Canada would make no deal at the Geneva Conference to grant recognition to Red China.

"We are not carrying an umbrella to Geneva," said Pearson. "We will not act in any way which would betray national honor." Nor will the government make any trade deals with the Reds. Pearson completely accepted the view expressed earlier in the debate by Tory Leader George Drew, that "Canada is not ready to sell her principles for a few dollars."

On the positive side, Pearson was more outspoken in his support of the defense policies of the Western alliance. He fully backed the U.S. in rejecting the Soviet proposal for NATO membership (see FOREIGN NEWS). Said Pearson: "Falling into such an obvious [propaganda] trap would, of course, be dangerous. We must be prepared to examine Soviet proposals . . . whenever there seems any prospect that negotiations may prove fruitful, but we must do this while maintaining policies which we have adopted with our friends . . . for our collective defense."