The Avro Arrow - Let the debate begin: Two Sides

In 1958, a heated debate began in Canada. This debate has spanned 5 decades and has affected thousands of people but could have been the difference between life and death for millions. Although now it is sometimes considered a non-issue issue, for a long time it was one of the biggest issues in Canadian headlines and a matter of Canadian pride.

In this debate there were two main sides: Those who believed that the development of the Arrow should have been continued, and those who believed that it should be scrapped..

On one side of the debate is John Diefenbaker and the Progressive Conservative Party who felt that the Avro Arrow project was wasting valuable resources and large amounts of capital and was also unnecessary for the defense of Canada and the United States.

On the other side of the debate, A.V Roe and the Avro Corporation who believed that Avro Arrow was the crowning achievement of Canadian innovation and ingenuity and would be necessary in defending Canada and the U.S. against the Soviet threat.


"The Avro Arrow." The Canadian Encyclopedia N. pag. Web. 4 Jan. 2013. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/avro-arrow>.

A. V. Roe

Diefenbaker