On 11 December 1945 the Government of Britian announced that there would be an election to a National Convention, which would debate constitutional options and make a recommendation as to which options would appear on a ballot in a national referendum. British Prime Minister Clement Attlee wanted to ensure that people from St John's did not dominate the seats, so he recommended that delegates would be elected in the former electoral districts and that each delegate would have to have been a resident of the district.[1] Nominations to the National Convention were held on May 31, 1946 and on June 21 June 21 is the 172nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 193 days remaining until the end of the year, 1946 1946 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, Newfoundlanders elected 45 delegates. Only two females offered themselves as candidates, but neither succeeded in winning a seat. Lester Burry Lester L. Burry born Safe Harbour, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. He was ordained a United Church minister in 1924, of Labrador Labrador is a distinct, northerly region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle. It is the largest and northernmost geographical region in Atlantic Canada had secured a seat, the first time that Labrador had elected representation.
Convening the National Convention
The National Convention was convened on September 11, 1946. A Supreme Court of Newfoundland Justice named Judge Cyril J. Fox chaired the proceedings. The Commissioner of Home Affairs issued pay checks to delegates: $15 a day, with a traveling stipend of $10 per day.
Not only were observers allowed in the gallery but the general public could listen to the debates on radio stations VOCM, VOAR and the state-run Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland The Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland was the government-owned public radio service of the dominion of Newfoundland. The radio service was founded in 1939 by the Commission of Government). The BCN's first station was acquired when the government purchased VONF (640 kHz) from the Dominion Broadcasting Company and refurbished for the use of station, VONF.
Many delegate were under the mistaken impression they were to form a national government and demanded to see the accounting books from the Commission. However, Governor MacDonald would explain that delegates were not the Government of Newfoundland, but were convened to debate what kind of government Newfoundland should have. The National Convention adjourned for the summer in 1946, intending to reconvene in the fall.
National Convention Proceedings
Many delegates believed Newfoundland should return to Responsible Government and Self-Determination. Delegates sympathetic to Confederation with Canada were in a minority in the National Convention until October 28, 1946, when Joseph R. Smallwood moved that a delegation be sent to Ottawa to discuss Terms of Union with Canada The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three. More motions and amendments were passed in the days following, when on October 30 Kenneth M. Brown, the delegate from Bonavista South, collapsed on the floor of the chamber. Tragedy struck again when on November 16, Judge Fox suffered a heart attack and died suddenly. The Convention adjourned on December 13 for the Christmas break which saw a movement develop organized by St. John’s businessman F. M. O'Leary, the Responsible Government League.
The London Delegation
In 1946, the National Convention dispatched the London Delegation to seek guarantees of continued assistance if Newfoundland were to resume Responsible Government. The mission had few tangible results.
The Ottawa Delegation
The 1947 Ottawa Delegation.On June 19, 1947, the National Convention dispatched the Ottawa Delegation to negotiate the Terms of Union for Confederation between Newfoundland and Canada.
The Ottawa Delegation was supposed to return to Newfoundland after one week. But the negotiations spanned on longer than that. Each delegate received a travelling subsidy of $25 per day. The members (With their districts) were:
- T.G.W. Ashbourne (Twillingate)
- F.G. Bradley (Bonavista South)
- Charles Ballram (Humber)
- Lester Burry Lester L. Burry born Safe Harbour, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. He was ordained a United Church minister in 1924 (Labrador)
- P.W. Crummey (Bay de Verde)
- Joey Smallwood Joseph Roberts "Joey" Smallwood, PC, CC was the main force that brought Newfoundland into Confederation, and became the first Premier of Newfoundland. Smallwood remains a controversial figure in Newfoundland, both for his role in ending its independent status and his acts while serving as its premier. He would dub himself "the last (Bonavista Centre)
Interestingly, at least half of the Ottawa Delegates belonged to the Orange Lodge: Joseph Smallwood, P.W. Crummey and F.G. Bradley were Orangemen; and two of them had been grand-masters: P.W. Crummey and F.G. Bradley.
Newfoundland-Canadian Negotions
Newfoundland - Canadian negotiations were largely a one way affair, because any union between the two dominions was dictated by the provisions of the British North America Act The British North America Acts 1867–1975 are the original names of a series of Acts at the core of the constitution of Canada. They were enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Parliament of Canada. In Canada, some of the Acts were amended or repealed by the Constitution Act, 1982; the rest were renamed the Constitution Acts. In (BNA), under which Canada had come into being in 1867.
P.W. Crummey had the hardest portfolio. Because the economy of his district was almost exclusively fishery-oriented, he was assigned to negotiate maritime issues. Crummey quickly discovered that after Confederation, Newfoundland would lose control of the Grand Banks because the BNA designated fisheries as under federal jurisdiction. Crummey also sensed that the federal negotiators intended to draw out the negotiations.
Economic Union Party
A National Delegate named Robert Job suggested economic union with the United States ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language. Anothr National Delegate named Ches Crosbie subsequently created the Economic Union Party On April 11, 1947, D.I. Jackman moved that a delegation be sent to Washington, DC Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790. The City of Washington was originally a separate municipality within the Territory of Columbia until an act of Congress in 1871 effectively merged the City and the to seek terms of union but his motion was not passed by the assembly. Thus, union with the United States was effectively taken off the table.
The Confederation Debate
A motion to place Confederation with Canada on the ballot was defeated 29 to 16. Joey Smallwood felt slighted by what he called 'Twenty-Nine Dictators'. Smallwood and his Confederates took the matter public. Newfoundland's Governor A governor is a governing official, usually the executive (at least nominally, to different degrees also politically and administratively) of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state. In federations, a governor may be the title of each appointed or elected politician who governs a constituent state, Gordon Macdonald Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor, PC was a British politician and Newfoundland's final British governor as well as the last chairman of the Commission of Government serving from 1946 until the colony joined confederation in 1949 and became a province of Canada would announce on March 11, 1948 that Confederation with Canada would be on a national referendum ballot along with Dominion government and the Commission.
The Referendums
On June 3, 1948, the first of two Newfoundland referendums was held on the advice of the Convention. Voters had three options:
- A return to dominion status
- Commission of Government, the status quo
- Confederation with Canada
| Votes | Perc. | |
|---|---|---|
| Dominion Status | 69,400 | 44.6% |
| Confederation | 64,066 | 41.1% |
| Commission | 22,311 | 14.3% |
The option for responsible government won a plurality, but not an absolute majority. The Governor and Commissioners called for a second National Referendum, one between Confederation and Dominion status. Anti-Confederates wanted the second National Referendum options limited to "Responsible Government" and "Commission of Government", believing that if Responsible Government won, it would be in a position to negotiate better terms with Canada.
On July 22, 1948 A second National Referendum was held. In the second referendum only two options appeared:
- Dominion status
- Confederation
| Votes | Perc. | |
|---|---|---|
| Confederation | 78,323 | 52.3% |
| Dominion status | 71,334 | 47.7% |
The confederation option won, and Newfoundland would become Canada's tenth province the following year.
External links
- The Newfoundland National Convention, 1946-1948 Heritage Newfoundland
- Commission of Government 1934-1949
- Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada pdf file.
References
- ^ Jeff Webb, "Newfoundland's National Convention, 1946-48" MA Thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland
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Bugle-Observer
The show will likely draw thousands of fans from all over New Brunswick, Newfoundland , Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, central and western Canada, ...
