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Newfoundland and Labrador

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Newfoundland and Labrador is one of Canada's provinces. Its capital is St. John's. Newfoundland is correctly pronounced "noofin-LAND".

Geographically, the province consists of the island of Newfoundland and the mainland Labrador. Since 1964 the province has referred to itself at a provincial level as "Newfoundland and Labrador", but federally the name "Newfoundland" was used to assuage a dispute with Quebec over whether or not Labrador should be assigned to Newfoundland. In October 2001, a constitutional amendment was passed by the House of Commons changing the official name to "Newfoundland and Labrador". This amendment came into force on December 6, 2001.

Newfoundland did not become part of Canada until 1949 and until then was a separate dominion of the British Empire.

File:Newfmap.png
(public domain Mercator map)

Newfoundland received a colonial assembly in 1832 which was and still is referred to as the House of Assembly. In 1855 Newfoundland was granted responsible government. Philip Francois Little, a native of Prince Edward Island, formed the first administration from 1855 to 1858. Newfoundland rejected confederation in the 1869 general election. It remained as a colony until acquiring dominion status in 1907 along with New Zealand. It attempted to reach a trade agreement with the United States but failed. The Dominion of Newfoundland reached its golden age under the premiership of Sir Robert Bond.

Newfoundland produced its own regiment to fight in the First World War. On July 1, 1916, most of that regiment was wiped out. The war debt sustained because of the regiment led to increased borrowing in the post-war era. Political scandal was a severe problem in the 1920s. In 1923 the Prime Minister at the time was arrested on charges of corruption. He was released soon after on bail, but the scandal was reviewed by the British-led Hollis Walker commission. Soon after, the Squires government fell. Squires returned to power in 1928 only to control a country that was drastically hurt by the Great Depression. On April 5, 1932, a mob of 10,000 people marched on the Parliament building and forced Squires to flee. Soon after there was an election and Squires lost again. The next government, led by Frederick Alderdice, called upon the British government to take direct control until Newfoundland could be self-sustaining.

In 1946 an election was held for a National Convention to decide the future of Newfoundland. After much debate, a referendum in July 1948 decided by a vote of 52 to 48 percent for confederation with Canada. Newfoundland joined Canada on April 1, 1949. Politics would be dominated by the Liberal Party under Joseph R. Smallwood until 1972. In 1972 the Smallwood government was finally replaced by the Tory administration of Frank Moores. In 1979 Brian Peckford became Premier. During this time Newfoundland was involved in a serious battle with the federal government for control of offshore oil resources. In the end, the dispute was decided by compromise. In 1989, Clyde Wells and the Liberal Party came to power. During the 1990s Newfoundland faced a severe enviromental and economic crisis. The cod fisheries that had provided Newfoundlanders with a livelihood for over 200 years had become depleted. The federal government helped with a billion-dollar package to rescue Newfoundland. In 1996 former federal politican Brian Tobin came to power. His main goal was to get a good deal out of the recently discovered nickel deposits in Labrador. He resigned and went back to federal politics in 2000. The Liberal Party has found itself in a difficult situation. Internal battling and dispute has left the new Premier, Roger Grimes, in a weakened position. Newfoundland has been recently involved in a dispute with Nova Scotia over the offshore boundary.

Newfoundland has its own dialect of English known as Newfoundland English.

See also

Canada, Canadian provinces and territories, Canadian cities

Bibliography

  • "This Marvelous Terrible Place: Images of Newfoundland and Labrador" by Momatiuk et al.,Firefly Books; ISBN 1552092259; (September 1998)
  • "Newfoundland & Labrador" by Lawrence Jackson, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd; ISBN: 1550412612; (August 1999)
  • "Atlas of Newfoundland and Labrador" by Department of Geography Memorial University of Newfoundland, Breakwater Books Ltd; ISBN 1550810006; (1991)
  • "Suspended State: Newfoundland Before Canada" by Gene Long, Breakwater Books Ltd; ISBN 1550811444; (April 1, 1999)
  • "True Newfoundlanders: Early Homes and Families of Newfoundland and Labrador" by Margaret McBurney et al., Boston Mills Pr; ISBN 1550461990; (June 1997)
  • "Biogeography and Ecology of the Island of Newfoundland: Monographiae Biologicae" by G. Robin South (Editor) Dr W Junk Pub Co; ISBN 9061931010; (April 1983)

http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~melbaker/confederation1949.htm -- "The Tenth Province: Newfoundland joins Canada, 1949", by Melvin Baker

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