Foreign Voices in the House

A Century of Addresses to Canada's Parliament by World Leaders
World leaders addressing the House of Commons show us Canada through foreign eyes, in light of Canada’s maturing role in world affairs. Foreign Voices in the House gathers, for the first time, sixty landmark speeches by world leaders and luminaries, with photos and background written by parliamentary veteran J. Patrick Boyer.
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Unique views from John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Indira Gandhi, and dozens of other world leaders reveal Canada and Canadians through their eyes.

During the First World War, foreign leaders began addressing Canadians in our House of Commons and, ever since, have continued influencing how we think about our role in global affairs. For a century now, this parade of world figures has brought urgent messages about Canada’s importance in world wars, the United Nations, Cold War security, decolonization and modernization, advancing human rights, environmental conservation, and combating terrorism.

All of the foreign leaders addressing Canada’s parliament sought to forge new partnerships between their own countries and ours in a rapidly evolving global context. Over the decades these speeches chart the stunning transformation of international affairs and Canada’s place in the world. No other source provides a complete record of this body of high-level oratory, gathered here for the first time in Foreign Voices in the House.