Jim, a friend of mine, was a summer student hired by the Federal Government to work in Kenora to work on implementing giving First Nations people the vote. This was an important initiative by the governement and Prime Minister Diffenbaker came to give the program his support. Jim was one of the people in the car that was taking him to his hotel. The hotel where he was staying had recently refused to allow a first nations person stay at the hotel.
Jim, at some personal risk, told Diffenbaker in the car about this and Diffenbaker decided to switch to another hotel.
Many of us would have been reluctant to speak up from a very junior position when his superiors had decided where the Prime Minister would stay. His example inspires me to stand up for my principles.
