From an Evening Telegram Forum piece of September 23, the 50th anniversary of the agreement to take Canada into Newfoundland. Or was it the other way round?
| Open-ended talks between two sovereign governments would have produced far better results |
Before breaking out the champagne to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Confederation, we should reflect on the past 50 years ... not on the principle of Confederation but on the inherent weaknesses of the process by which it was achieved. Perhaps Confederation was inevitable. However, it should only have been on terms negotiated by two sovereign governments. That position is supported by the late Don Jamieson. In his book, No Place For Fools, Jamieson wrote, “There can be little doubt that open-ended talks between two sovereign governments would have produced far better results for Newfoundland.” The events leading up to Confederation can best be described as a classic example of putting the cart before the horse, or as one local historian described it, “an exercise in the politically bizarre.” In 1947, a delegation from the National Convention, whom Smallwood later described as clod-hoppers in comparing them with Canadians they encountered, went to Ottawa to see if a basis existed for union. Since the National Convention had no mandate to negotiate, invite or receive terms of union, the same constraints were imposed on the Ottawa delegation. Consequently, its members not only lacked a mandate to negotiate, but without expert technical advice, they also lacked the competence to discuss terms of union. Three months after Newfoundlanders voted for Confederation, a second delegation, this one appointed by the Commission of Government, went to Ottawa to negotiate and sign the final terms. Members of that delegation soon discovered that the Mackenzie King proposal, on which the people voted, was grossly inadequate. One member, Chesley Crosbie, refused to sign. The outcome of the second referendum, in which a majority of Newfoundlanders voted for Confederation, was especially gratifying for Canada’s prime minister. Removed forever was the threat of Newfoundland falling under the influence of an alien power, however friendly, which was King’s worst recurring nightmare. As was the unsettling prospect of having to negotiate Confederation on an equal footing with a sovereign Newfoundland government. Removed too, was the need to offer Newfoundland special concessions, however justified, as an inducement to join Canada and risk causing serious political repercussions in other provinces. There is an old French proverb that our political leaders would do well to heed; “He who can lick can bite.” Today in this province there is a growing suspicion that Newfoundland was short-changed in 1949 by the latter-day fathers of Confederation who, in their rush to get Confederation, were careless about the means by which it was achieved. The results of a straw vote conducted this summer in Trinity in which a cross-section of Newfoundlanders participated supports that statement. Using a replica of the ballot used in the second referendum, more than half the 1,500 people polled voted against Confederation.
There is a growing suspicion that Newfoundland was short-changed in 1949 by the latter-day fathers of Confederation who, in their rush to confederate, were careless.
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Without commenting on the results it produced, I believe the poll does indicate that there exists in this province grievances of long duration that must be addressed. One need not be an anti-Confederate or anything more than a good Newfoundlander to be less than willing to slavishly condone forever a situation that for 50 years has kept our province on the bottom rung of Canada’s social and economic ladder. | The House of Assembly should adopt an all-party resolution calling for the establishment of a special committee to review the Terms of Union and all federal fiscal and regulatory policies that affect this province. Whether done by a select committee of the legislature or a special committee of private citizens appointed by the legislature, the cost need not be excessive. Frankly, I prefer the latter. I believe there are many experienced, dedicated people in this province, including retirees, who would consider it a privilege to serve on such a committee gratuitously. If barriers exist that have hindered and continue to hinder our province’s growth and development, they must be identified and removed. Federal handouts are no substitute for justice withheld. |
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