Wikipedia

Dominion of Newfoundland

Newfoundlandwas a Britishdominionin eastern North America, today the modernCanadian provinceofNewfoundland and Labrador.It included theisland of Newfoundland,andLabradoron the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the original dominions under theBalfour Declaration of 1926,and accordingly enjoyed a constitutional status equivalent to the other dominions of the time. Its dominion status was confirmed by theStatute of Westminster, 1931,although the statute was not otherwise applicable to Newfoundland.

Newfoundland
1907–1949
Flag of Newfoundland
Civil ensign
(1907–1949)
Motto:Quaerite prime regnum Dei(Latin)
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God"
Anthem:"Ode to Newfoundland"
Map of the Dominion of Newfoundland
Map of the Dominion of Newfoundland
Status
Capital
and largest city
St. John's
Official languagesEnglish
Demonym(s)Newfoundlander
GovernmentResponsible government
King
• 1907–1910 (first)
Edward VII
• 1936–1949 (last)
George VI
Governor
• 1907–1909 (first)
Sir William MacGregor
• 1946–1949 (last)
Sir Gordon Macdonald
Prime Minister
• 1907–1910 (first)
Sir Robert Bond
• 1932–1934 (last)
Frederick C. Alderdice
LegislatureGeneral Assembly of Newfoundland
•Upper house
Legislative Council of Newfoundland
•Lower house
House of Assembly
Historical eraEarly to mid-20th century
• Semi-sovereigndominion
26 September 1907
19 November 1926
16 February 1934
31 March 1949
Area
• Total
405,212 km2(156,453 sq mi)
CurrencyNewfoundland dollar
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Newfoundland Colony
Canada
Province of Newfoundland
Today part of
*National holidays celebrated on 24 June,Discovery Day,and 26 September,Dominion Day.Patron saintJohn the Baptist.

In 1934, Newfoundland became the only dominion to give up its self-governing status, which ended 79 years of self-government.[1]The abolition of self-government came about because of a crisis in Newfoundland's public finances in 1932. Newfoundland had accumulated a significant amount of debt by building arailway across the island,which was completed in the 1890s, and by raisingits own regimentduring theFirst World War.[1]In November 1932, the government warned that Newfoundland would default on payments on the public debt.[1]The British government quickly established theNewfoundland Royal Commissionto inquire into and report on the position.[1]The commission's report, published in October 1933, recommended that Newfoundland give up self-government temporarily and allow the United Kingdom to administer it by an appointed commission.[1]

TheNewfoundland parliamentaccepted the recommendations; it then presented a petition to the King to ask for the suspension of the constitution and the appointment of commissioners to administer the government until the country became self-supporting again.[2]To enable compliance with the request, theBritish Parliamentpassed theNewfoundland Act, 1933,and on 16 February 1934, the British government appointed six commissioners, three from Newfoundland and three from the United Kingdom, with the governor as chairman.[2]The system of a six-memberCommission of Governmentcontinued to govern Newfoundland until Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949 to become Canada's tenth province.[3]

Name and national symbols

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The official name of the dominion was "Newfoundland" and not, as was sometimes reported, "Dominion of Newfoundland". The distinction is apparent in many statutes, most notably theStatute of Westminsterthat listed the full name of each realm, including the "Dominion of New Zealand", the "Dominion of Canada", and "Newfoundland".[4]

The Newfoundland Red Ensign,civil flagfrom 1907 to 1931
TheUnion Flag,official flag of the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1931, and of the Canadian province of Newfoundland from 1949 to 1980

TheNewfoundland Red Ensignwas used as thede factonational flag of the dominion[5]until the legislature adopted theUnion Flagon 15 May 1931.

The anthem of the dominion was the "Ode to Newfoundland",written by British colonial governorSir Cavendish Boylein 1902 during his administration of Newfoundland (1901 to 1904).[6]It was adopted as the dominion's anthem on 20 May 1904, until confederation with Canada in 1949. In 1980, the province of Newfoundland re-adopted the song as a provincial anthem. The "Ode to Newfoundland" continues to be heard at public events in the province; however, only the first and last verses are traditionally sung.

Political origins

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Main article:Newfoundland colony
Newfoundland postage stamp, featuringSir Humphrey Gilbert

Newfoundland was the oldest English colony in North America, being claimed byJohn Cabotfor KingHenry VII,and again by SirHumphrey Gilbertin 1583. It gradually acquired European settlement; in 1825, it was formally recognised as aCrown colonyby the British government. The British government granted representative government in 1832, andresponsible governmentin 1854.[7]In 1855,Philip Francis Little,a native ofPrince Edward Island,won a parliamentary majority overSir Hugh Hoylesand theConservatives.Little formed the first administration from 1855 to 1858.

Newfoundland sent two delegates to theQuebec Conferencein 1864 which resulted inCanadian Confederation,but the option of joining was not popular in Newfoundland. In the 1869 general election, Newfoundlanders rejected confederation with Canada.Sir John Thompson,Prime Minister of Canada,came very close to negotiating Newfoundland's entry into Confederation in 1892.

Newfoundland remained a colony until the1907 Imperial Conferenceresolved to conferdominionstatus on all self-governing colonies in attendance.[8]The annual holiday ofDominion Daywas celebrated each 26 September to commemorate the occasion.

First World War and afterwards

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Map of Newfoundland in 1912.

Newfoundland's own regiment, the1st Newfoundland Regiment,fought in theFirst World War.On 1 July 1916, the German Army wiped out most of that regiment atBeaumont Hamelon thefirst day on the Somme,inflicting 90 percent casualties.[9][page needed]Yet the regiment went on to serve with distinction in several subsequent battles, earning the prefix "Royal". Despite people's pride in the accomplishments of the regiment, Newfoundland's war debt and pension responsibility for the regiment and the cost of maintaining a trans-island railway led to increased and ultimately unsustainable government debt in the post-war era.[10]

After the war, Newfoundland along with the other dominions sent a separate delegation to theParis Peace Conferencebut, unlike the other dominions, Newfoundland neither signed theTreaty of Versaillesin her own right nor sought separate membership in theLeague of Nations.

In the 1920s, political scandals wracked the dominion. In 1923, theattorney generalarrested Newfoundland's prime minister,Sir Richard Squires,on charges of corruption. Despite his release soon after on bail, a commission of enquiry, headed by Thomas Hollis-Walker, reviewed the scandal. Soon after, the Squires government fell. Squires returned to power in 1928 because of the unpopularity of his successors, the pro-businessWalter Stanley Monroeand (briefly)Frederick C. Alderdice(Monroe's cousin), but found himself governing a country suffering from theGreat Depression.

TheJudicial Committee of the Privy Councilresolved Newfoundland's long-standingLabrador boundary disputewith Canada to the satisfaction of Newfoundland and against Canada (and, in particular, contrary to the wishes ofQuebec,the province that bordered Labrador) with a ruling on 1 April 1927. Prior to 1867, the Quebec North Shore portion of the "Labrador coast" had shuttled back and forth between the colonies ofLower Canadaand Newfoundland. Maps up to 1927 showed the coastal region as part of Newfoundland, with an undefined boundary. The Privy Council ruling established a boundary along thedrainage divideseparating waters that flowed through the territory to the Labrador coast, although following two straight lines from theRomaine Riveralong the52nd parallel,then south near57 degrees westlongitude to theGulf of Saint Lawrence.Quebec has long rejected the outcome, and Quebec's provincially issued maps do not mark the boundary in the same way as boundaries withOntarioandNew Brunswick.

Newfoundland only gradually implemented its status as a self-governing dominion. In 1921, it officially established the position ofHigh Commissioner to the United Kingdom(for whichSir Edgar Rennie Bowringhad already assumed the role in 1918),[11]and it adopted a national flag and established an external affairs department in 1931.[12][13]Although the legislature of Newfoundland gave its assent to the passage of the Statute of Westminster, when the Statute was finalised the Newfoundland delegation requested that it not come into effect in Newfoundland until the legislature had consented to the application of the statute. The legislature of Newfoundland never gave its consent, so the statute was not in force in Newfoundland until it joined Canada.[14][15][16]

End of responsible government

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Colonial Building
ANewfoundland dollarbill issued in 1920

As a small country which relied primarily upon the export of fish, paper, and minerals, Newfoundland was hit hard by theGreat Depression.Economic frustration combined with anger over government corruption led to a general dissatisfaction with democratic government. On 5 April 1932, a crowd of 10,000 people marched on theColonial Building(seat of theHouse of Assembly) and forced Prime Minister Squires to flee. Squires lost an election held later in 1932. The next government, led once more by Alderdice, called upon the British government to take direct control until Newfoundland could become self-sustaining. The United Kingdom, concerned over Newfoundland's likelihood of defaulting on its war-debt payments, established theNewfoundland Royal Commission,headed by a Scottish peer,Lord Amulree.Its report, released in 1933, assessed Newfoundland's political culture as intrinsically corrupt and its economic prospects as bleak, and advocated the abolition of responsible government and its replacement by a Commission of the British Government. Acting on the report's recommendations, Alderdice's government voted itself out of existence in December 1933.[1]

In 1934, the British Parliament passed theNewfoundland Act, 1933which suspended Newfoundland's Legislature and established theCommission of Government.[17]Letters patent passed under the act provided that Newfoundland was ruled by the governor, who reported to theColonial Secretaryin London, and the commission, appointed by the British government.[18]Newfoundland remained a dominion in name only.[19]TheNewfoundland Supreme Courtheld that the surrender of responsible government and the establishment of the commission of government "... reduces the Island to the status of a pure Crown colony".[20]

Second World War

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Further information:Military history of the Dominion of Newfoundland during World War II,British Empire in World War II,andWorld War II by country § Newfoundland

The severe worldwideGreat Depressionpersisted until the Second World War broke out in 1939.

Given Newfoundland's strategic location in theBattle of the Atlantic,theAllies(especially the United States of America) built many military bases there. Large numbers of unskilled men gained the first paycheques they had seen in years by working on construction and in dockside crews. National income doubled as an economic boom took place in theAvalon Peninsulaand to a lesser degree inGander,Botwood,andStephenville.TheUnited Statesbecame the main supplier, and American money and influence diffused rapidly from the military, naval, and air bases. Prosperity returned to the fishing industry by 1943. Government revenues, aided by inflation and new income, quadrupled, even though Newfoundland had tax rates much lower than those in Canada, Britain, or the United States. To the astonishment of all, Newfoundland started financing loans to London. Wartime prosperity ended the long depression and reopened the question of political status.

The American Bases Act became law in Newfoundland on 11 June 1941, with American personnel creating drastic social change on the island. This included significant intermarriage between Newfoundland women and American personnel.[21][page needed]

In October 1943, theweather station Kurtwas erected in Newfoundland, markingNazi Germany's only armed operation on land in North America.

A new political party formed in Newfoundland to support closer ties with the US, theEconomic Union Party,which Karl McNeil Earle characterizes as "a short-lived but lively movement for economic union with the United States". Advocates of union with Canada denounced the Economic Union Party as republican, disloyal and anti-British. No American initiative for union was ever created.[22][page needed]

National Convention and referendums

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Main article:Newfoundland referendums, 1948
1930s passport

As soon as prosperity returned during the war, agitation began to end the commission.[23][page needed]Newfoundland, with a population of 313,000 (plus 5,200 in Labrador), seemed too small to be independent.[24][full citation needed]In 1945, London announced that aNewfoundland National Conventionwould be elected to advise on what constitutional choices should be voted on by referendum. Union with the United States was a possibility, but Britain rejected the option and offered instead two options: return to dominion status or continuation of the unpopular Commission.[25][page needed]Canada cooperated with Britain to ensure that the option of closer ties with America was not on the referendum.[26]

In 1946, an election took place to determine the membership of the Newfoundland National Convention, charged with deciding the future of Newfoundland. The Convention voted to hold a referendum to decide between continuing the Commission of Government or restoringresponsible government.Joey Smallwoodwas a well-known radio personality, writer, organizer, and nationalist who had long criticized British rule. He became the leader of the confederates and moved for the inclusion of a third option – that of confederation with Canada. The Convention defeated his motion, but he did not give up, instead gathering more than 5,000 petition signatures within afortnight,which he sent to London through the governor. Britain insisted that it would not give Newfoundland any further financial assistance, but added this third option of having Newfoundland join Canada to the ballot. After much debate, the first referendum took place on 3 June 1948, to decide between continuing with the Commission of Government, reverting to dominion status, or joiningCanadian Confederation.

Three parties participated in the referendum campaign: Smallwood'sConfederate Associationcampaigned for the confederation option while in the anti-confederation campaignPeter Cashin'sResponsible Government LeagueandChesley Crosbie'sEconomic Union Party(both of which called for a vote for responsible government) took part. No party advocated petitioning Britain to continue the Commission of Government. Canada had issued an invitation to join it on generous financial terms. Smallwood was the leading proponent of confederation with Canada, insisting, "Today we are more disposed to feel that our very manhood, our very creation by God, entitles us to standards of life no lower than our brothers on the mainland."[27]Due to persistence, he succeeded in having the Canada option on the referendum.[28][page needed]His main opponents were Cashin and Crosbie. Cashin, a former finance minister, led the Responsible Government League, warning against cheap Canadian imports and the high Canadian income tax. Crosbie, a leader of the fishing industry, led the Party for Economic Union with the United States, seeking responsible government first, to be followed by closer ties with the United States, which could be a major source of capital.[29][full citation needed]

The result proved inconclusive, with 44.5 percent supporting the restoration of dominion status, 41.1 percent for confederation with Canada, and 14.3 percent for continuing the Commission of Government. Due to no option getting at least 50 percent of the vote, a second referendum with the top two options from the first referendum was scheduled to be held on 22 July. The second referendum, on 22 July 1948, asked Newfoundlanders to choose between confederation and dominion status, and produced a vote of 52 to 48 percent for confederation. Newfoundland joined Canada in the final hours of 31 March 1949.

See also

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Political parties in the Dominion of Newfoundland

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References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^abcdefHiller, J. K. (2002)."The Newfoundland Royal Commission, 1933 (The Amulree Commission)".Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site.Retrieved29 December2015.
  2. ^abRoberts-Wray 1966,p. 830.
  3. ^British North America Act, 1949(12, 13 & 14 G. 6, c. 22)
  4. ^Statute of Westminster, 1931,22 Geo. V, c. 4 (UK), s. 1.
  5. ^"Historic Flags of Newfoundland (Canada)".October 2005.Retrieved22 June2010.
  6. ^"The Provincial Anthem: Ode to Newfoundland".heritage.nf.ca.Retrieved31 January2020.
  7. ^Webb, Jeff."Representative Government, 1832–1855".Retrieved17 October2008.
  8. ^Minutes of Proceedings of the Colonial Conference, 1907.Cd. 3523. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1907. p. v.
  9. ^Nicholson 2010.
  10. ^"First World War and the Economy".heritage.nf.ca.Retrieved31 January2020.
  11. ^High Commissioner's Act, 1921,SN 1921, c. 6
  12. ^An Act to provide for a National Flag for Newfoundland, and Colours to be worn on Vessels,SN 1931, c. 3
  13. ^An Act relating to the Department of External Affairs,SN 1931, c. 14
  14. ^Address to the King,SN 1931, c. 1
  15. ^Statute of Westminster, 1931,22 Geo. V, c. 4 (UK), s. 10.
  16. ^Currie v Macdonald,[1948] NJ No. 2 (QL), para 5, 29 Nfld & PEIR 314 (Nfld. SC), p 319; appeal dismissed, [1949] NJ No. 1 (QL), 29 Nfld & PEIR 294 (Nfld CA).
  17. ^Newfoundland Act, 1933,24 Geo. V, c. 2.
  18. ^Neary 1988,p.25.
  19. ^Webb, Jeff A. (January 2003)."The Commission of Government, 1934–1949".Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site (2007).Retrieved10 August2007.
  20. ^Currie v Macdonald,[1948] NJ No. 2 (QL), para 17, 29 Nfld & PEIR 314 (Nfld. SC), p 323; appeal dismissed, [1949] NJ No. 1 (QL), 29 Nfld & PEIR 294 (Nfld CA).
  21. ^Earle 1998;Overton 1984.
  22. ^Earle 1998.
  23. ^Long 1999.
  24. ^MacKay 1946.
  25. ^Hiller 1998.
  26. ^Dyer, Gwynne (March 2003)."The Strategic Importance of Newfoundland and Labrador to Canada"(PDF).Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada.Retrieved23 September2024.... So Canada and Britain collaborated to ensure that the option of association with the United States was not among the choices offered to Newfoundlanders in 1948...
  27. ^Smallwood 1973,p. 256.
  28. ^Gwyn 1972.
  29. ^Hiller & Harrington 1995.

Bibliography

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  • Earle, Karl McNeil (Winter 1998). "Cousins of a Kind: The Newfoundland and Labrador Relationship with the United States".American Review of Canadian Studies.28(4): 387–411.doi:10.1080/02722019809481611.ISSN1943-9954.
  • Gwyn, Richard(1972).Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary.
  • Hiller, James K. (1998).Confederation: Deciding Newfoundland's Future, 1934–1949.
  • Hiller, James K.; Harrington, Michael F., eds. (1995).The Newfoundland National Convention, 1946–1948.Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.
  • Long, Gene(1999).Suspended State: Newfoundland Before Canada.
  • MacKay, R. A., ed. (1946).Newfoundland: Economic, Diplomatic, and Strategic Studies.Toronto: Oxford University Press.
  • Neary, Peter (1988).Newfoundland in the North Atlantic World, 1929–1949.Kingston, Ontario: McGill-Queen's University Press.ISBN978-0-7735-6180-9.
  • Nicholson, G. W. L.(2010).The Fighting Newfoundlander: A History of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.ISBN978-0-7735-7544-8.
  • Overton, James (Autumn 1984). "Coming Home: Nostalgia and Tourism in Newfoundland".Acadiensis.14(1): 84–97.ISSN1712-7432.JSTOR30303385.
  • Roberts-Wray, Kenneth(1966).Commonwealth and Colonial Law.
  • Smallwood, Joey(1973).I Chose Canada: The Memoirs of the Honourable Joseph R. "Joey" Smallwood.

Further reading

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  • Blake, Raymond B.; Baker, Melvin (2019).Where Once They Stood: Newfoundland's Rocky Road to Canada.Regina, Saskatchewan: University of Regina Press.
  • Fay, C. R. (1956).Life and Labour in Newfoundland.Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  • Keith, Arthur Berriedale(1912).Responsible Government in the Dominions.Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • ———(1934). "The Report of the Newfoundland Royal Commission".Journal of Comparative Legislation and International Law.16(1): 25–39.ISSN1479-5949.JSTOR753977.
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  • Atlantic Crossroads,a 1945 Allied propaganda film on Newfoundland's role in the Second World War
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