Dominion of Newfoundland

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This article is about the historical state called the Dominion of Newfoundland (1907–1949). For information about its modern successor states, see the main article: Newfoundland and Labrador.

For other meanings of the terms "Newfoundland" and "Labrador" , see Newfoundland (disambiguation) and Labrador (disambiguation).

For the geographical areas see: Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dominion of Newfoundland

(National Flag (1931-1934)) (Coat of Arms) (Great Seal)
National motto: Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei (Latin: Seek ye first the kingdom of God)
Capital	St. John's
Language	English (de facto)
Government	Constitutional monarchy
Head of State	King of Newfoundland
Head of Government	Prime Minister
Parliament	House of Assembly
Independence  -From the UK	26 September 1907
Dissolution	31 March 1949 Newfoundland Act
First monarch	Edward VII
Last monarch	George VI
First PM	Sir Edward Patrick Morris
Last PM	Frederick C. Alderdice
Preceded by	Colony of Newfoundland
Succeeded by	Province of Newfoundland
National Anthem	Ode to Newfoundland
National Holiday	June 24, Discovery Day
Patron saint	St. John the Baptist

The Dominion of Newfoundland was a country that existed from 1907 (before which it was a British colony) to 1949. In 1934, Newfoundland voluntarily gave up self-government and reverted to direct control from London—one of the few countries that has ever voluntarily given up direct self-rule. In 1949 it joined Canada to become Canada's tenth province.

In 1854, Newfoundland was granted responsible government by the British government. In 1855, Philip Francis Little, a native of Prince Edward Island, won a majority over Sir Hugh Hoyles and the Conservatives. Little formed the first administration from 1855 to 1858. Newfoundland rejected confederation with Canada in the 1869 general election.

It remained a colony until acquiring dominion status on September 26, 1907 along with New Zealand. It successfully negotiated a trade agreement with the United States but the British government blocked it after objections from Canada. The Dominion of Newfoundland reached its golden age under Prime Minister Sir Robert Bond of the Liberal Party.

Newfoundland produced its own regiment to fight in the First World War. On July 1, 1916, most of that regiment was wiped out at Beaumont Hamel on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The war debt sustained because of the regiment led to increased borrowing in the post-war era. In the 1920s, political scandals wracked the dominion. In 1923, Prime Minister Sir Richard Squires 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 due to the unpopularity of his predecessors, the pro-business Walter Stanley Monroe and (briefly) Frederick C. Alderdice (Monroe's cousin), but found himself governing a country suffering from the Great Depression.

Newfoundland's long-standing Labrador boundary dispute with Canada was resolved to the satisfaction of Newfoundland and Canada (but not Quebec, the province that bordered Labrador) with the ruling, on April 1, 1927 by the Imperial Privy Council. Prior to 1867, the Quebec North Shore portion of the "Labrador coast" had been shuttled back and forth between the colonies of Lower Canada and 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 the drainage divide separating waters that flowed through the territory to the Labrador coast, although following two straight lines from the Romaine River along the 52nd Parallel, then south near 57 degrees west longitude to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Quebec has long rejected the settlement on the grounds it was not a party to the agreement, and provincially-issued maps do not mark the boundary the same way as boundaries with Ontario and New Brunswick.

On April 5, 1932, a mob of 10,000 people marched on the Colonial Building (seat of the House of Assembly) and forced Squires to flee. Squires lost the election that was held subsequently. The next government, led once more by Alderdice, called upon the British government to take direct control until Newfoundland could be self-sustaining. The United Kingdom, concerned over Newfoundland's likelihood of defaulting on its war debt payments, established the Newfoundland Royal Commission, headed by a Scottish peer, Baron Amulree. Its report, released in 1933, assessed Newfoundland's political culture as intrinsically corrupt and its economic prospects bleak, and advocated the abolition of responsible government on the island, to be replaced by a Commission of the British Government. Acting on the report's recommendations, Alderdice's government voted itself out of existence in December 1933.

In 1934, the Dominion suspended its self-governing status as the Commission of Government took its place. A severe depression persisted until the war broke out. Given its strategic location, many military bases were built, especially by the United States. Large numbers of unskilled men gained the first paycheques they had seen in years working on construction and dockside crews. National income doubled overnight as an economic boom took place in the Avalon Peninsula and to a lesser degree in Gander, Botwood and Stephenville. The United States became 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 tax rates were much lower than Canada, Britain or the U.S. To the astonishment of all, Newfoundland started financing loans to London. Wartime prosperity ended the long depression and reopened the question of political status.

Following World War II, in 1946, an election was held for the Newfoundland National Convention to decide the future of Newfoundland. The Convention voted to hold a referendum to decide between continuing the Commission of Government or restoring responsible government. Joseph R. Smallwood, the leader of the confederates, moved that a third option of confederation with Canada should be included. His motion was defeated by the convention. But he did not give up, instead gathered more than 5000 petitions from the people within a fortnight which he sent to London through the Governor. The United Kingdom, insisting that it would not give Newfoundland any further financial assistance, added a third option of having Newfoundland join Canada to the ballot. After much debate, an initial referendum was held on June 3, 1948 to decide between continuing with the Commission of Government, reverting to dominion status, or joining Canadian Confederation. The referendum was fought by three parties, Smallwood's Confederate Association campaigned for the Confederation option while the anti-Confederation campaign was split amongst Peter Cashin's Responsible Government League and Chesley Crosbie's Economic Union Party, both of which called for a vote for responsible government. No party advocated continuing the Commission of Government.

The result was inconclusive, with 44.6% supporting the restoration of dominion status, 41.1% for confederation with Canada, and 14.3% for continuing the Commission of Government. Between the first and second referendums, rumours had it that Catholic bishops were using their religious influence to alter the outcome of the votes. The Orange Order was incensed and called on all its members to vote for confederation, as the Catholics voted for responsible government. The Protestants of Newfoundland outnumbered the Catholics at a ratio of 2:1. This was believed to have greatly influenced the outcome of the second referendum. A second referendum on July 22, 1948, which asked Newfoundlanders to choose between confederation and dominion status, was decided by a vote of 52% to 48% for confederation with Canada. Newfoundland joined Canada on March 31, 1949.

Not everyone was satisfied with the results, however. Peter Cashin, an outspoken anti-Confederate, questioned the validity of the votes. He claimed that it was the "unholy union between London and Ottawa" that brought about confederation. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

• C. R. Fay; Life and Labour in Newfoundland University of Toronto Press, 1956
• R. A. MacKay; Newfoundland; Economic, Diplomatic, and Strategic Studies Oxford University Press, 1946

[edit] See also

• Newfoundland Act -- an Act of Parliament that confirmed and gave effect to the Terms of Union agreed to between the Dominion of Canada and the Dominion of Newfoundland on March 23, 1949.

[edit] External links

• The Dominion of Newfoundland: From Oldest Colony to Newest Province by Richard Doody.