75 Years of Being Canadian

2024 marks the 75th anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador joining Canada. In the summer of 1947, a delegation went to Ottawa to negotiate the Terms of Union for the new province. The terms agreed that residents of Newfoundland and Labrador would join other Canadians in being eligible for old age pensions, unemployment insurance, and family allowances. In exchange, the fishery would be managed by the federal government.

The Terms of Union did not any mention the Indigenous Peoples and Inuit of Newfoundland and Labrador – an omission that still impacts many communities today.

The union took place after years of negotiations and debate, and a closed vote, in which joining Canada was chosen by 52.3 % of residents. Do you think Confederation was the right decision?

Joining Confederation meant:

• Newfoundland and Labrador’s debt of almost $40 million dollars, owed to the Canadian Government, would be absorbed (almost $900 million in today’s money).
• Residents would gain access to social services including old age pensions, family allowances, and unemployment insurance.
• The new province could manufacture its own margarine, against the wishes of Canada’s dairy industry.
• The denominational school system, run by the different churches, could continue.
• Newfoundland and Labrador would lose control over the fishery and this would fall under federal government regulation.

Returning to Responsible Government meant:

• Newfoundland and Labrador would return to self-governance as a separate nation.
• Newfoundland and Labrador would maintain control over all natural resources.
• Those in favour of a return to Responsible Government felt that the Canadian Government may mismanage the fishery, as Ottawa would be concerned with other provinces.
• Newfoundland and Labrador would keep direct economic ties with the United States.
• Taxes would increase.