Through 1959 , the Diefenbaker government had a policy of not criticizing South Africa and its apartheid government . In this stance , Diefenbaker had the support of the Liberals but not that of CCF leader Hazen Argue . In 1960 , however , the South Africans sought to maintain membership in the Commonwealth even if South African white voters chose to make the country a republic in a referendum scheduled for later that year . South Africa asked that year 's Commonwealth Prime Ministers ' Conference to allow it to remain in the Commonwealth regardless of the result of the referendum . Diefenbaker privately expressed his distaste for apartheid to South African External Affairs Minister Eric Louw and urged him to give the black and coloured people of South Africa at least the minimal representation they had originally had . Louw , attending the conference as Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd recovered from an assassination attempt , refused . The conference resolved that an advance decision would be interfering in South Africa 's internal affairs
Commonwealth Prime Ministers ' Conference
1960 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
John Diefenbaker