When was newfoundland a province

Pratt, who hailed from Newfoundland and who was introduced as the "unofficial poet laureate" of Canada. Getting straight to the matter of language, he spoke about his fellow Newfoundlanders, whose "dialect" was "almost a closed book" to the "outsider. As for how to say the name of the place itself, Pratt said he'd been asked that question "at least a thousand times. Over the decades many Newfoundlanders have provided a simple rhyming word for remembering how to have the word roll off the tongue — "understand.

One such lesson came from Bob Cole. In , the announcer, who would go on to be a familiar voice to Hockey Night in Canada fans , was working for the summer in Toronto. Host Elwood Glover called upon the expertise of the St.

The North Atlantic Cod Moratorium is still etched in the minds of Newfoundlanders who lost their livelihood and those who make their living on the ocean now. The decision, which arguably had to happen due to 50 years of poor fisheries management on the part of the Canadian federal government, shaped the lives of coastal communities throughout this special Atlantic Canadian province.

Over , tourists visit Newfoundland and Labrador each year and the tourism industry is thriving. Fishing, forestry, mining, and hydroelectric development also play a major part. The air and water in Newfoundland is some of the cleanest on the planet, and the standard of living in the province is high.

Newfoundland has regained more control over their own fishery and is reaping the rewards, now doing many of the things Iceland did when they left Denmark. What do you think? Were you or someone you know affected by the Newfoundland Cod Moratorium?

If you were around during the vote to join Canada in would you have voted to join confederation or would you have preferred to see Newfoundland be its own country?

Post your opinion in the comments below. We want to hear from you. GDP per capita is about the same in both places. Per-capita debt is also about equivalent. I would have voted to stay my own country, and NOT connected to Canada. They know what to do. These were mostly female servants, many of whom married local servants and planters. Some of the Irishmen among the soldiers stationed in St John's in also settled on the Island. By the s Irish servants were arriving in Newfoundland in considerable numbers.

This mixture of West Country English and Irish cultures has continues to shape the identity of the Island's peoples. By the population of Newfoundland had risen to nearly 12, Although the cod fishery remained the main industry, increased population led to a more diversified economy: logging, shipbuilding , trapping, salmon fishing and sealing all came to play a more important role, and the demand for a variety of skilled tradesmen increased.

This period also saw the beginning of a seasonal fishery between Newfoundland and Labrador, and merchants establishing premises on the Labrador coast to collect furs and exploit the cod, salmon and seal fisheries. The English migratory fishery ground to a halt and never fully recovered as the dangers of a trans-Atlantic crossing increased; and many West Country fishermen were pressed into the British Navy.

Increased danger at sea also meant that many more people chose to remain on the Island, thus spurring population growth. The defeat of the French in Spain in reopened the markets in southern Europe for Newfoundland salt cod and initiated an economic boom that saw many new arrivals, especially from Ireland. By the time peace arrived in , the Newfoundland population had risen to more than 40, and the fishery was firmly in the hands of the resident population.

Once a significant permanent population was established, petitions for better government and local representation increased. William Carson and Patrick Morris , through a campaign of pamphlets and petitions to Britain, succeeded in having representative government established in , with the objective to obtain responsible government and full colonial status, which was finally achieved in Settlement increased throughout the 19th century.

The salt-cod fishery was the principal occupation and the mainstay of the economy, but there was also logging, mining and agriculture. In the late s the trans-insular railway began to open up the interior, and goods and services became accessible to many parts formerly isolated in winter.

Representatives of the various Newfoundland governments attended the Confederation conferences, but they chose not to join, despite substantial support of the movement. When the French fishing rights were revoked in , the northern and western coasts became available for settlement. Until about the economy was based on the primary industries — fishing, mining, and pulp and paper — but debts incurred through building railways and supporting a regiment in First World War , coupled with the Great Depression after , produced bankruptcy and government collapse.

Newfoundland was forced to beg Britain for assistance and eventually reassumed colonial status under a Commission of Government.

The economy recovered remarkably towards the end of the s, mainly because of increasing demand for products from the sea, mines and forests, and because of increased activity in defence-based construction in anticipation of Second World War. During the war many young people joined the armed forces overseas, and at home there was full employment. The US, Canada and Britain established several army bases, two large naval bases and five airports in Newfoundland.

Gander was the largest and most important airport because of its role in the transatlantic Ferry Command. After the Second World War, a national convention was elected to debate the question of Newfoundland's future and to make recommendations.

It was decided to hold a referendum through which the people would make a choice between the Commission government, confederation with Canada, or a return to responsible government and Dominion status. The referendum proved inconclusive except that Newfoundlanders were unwilling to retain the Commission government.

A second referendum with the options of Confederation or Dominion was then held. An intensive campaign ensued between the confederates, led by Joseph R. Smallwood , and the anti-confederates, which the confederates won by a narrow margin, 52 per cent to 48 per cent. Canada accepted Newfoundland at midnight on 31 March , and Smallwood became premier of the first provincial government. The next two decades witnessed dramatic and substantial changes in the economy and in the lifestyle of Newfoundlanders.

The fishing industry was revolutionized as dozens of fresh-fish-processing plants were established on all coasts and as they gradually all but replaced the old method of the family-run enterprise of catching, salting and sun-curing cod for sale to Caribbean and Mediterranean areas. Draggers operating offshore on the Banks, and smaller boats in the near-shore and inshore waters, could now catch a variety of species for delivery to the plants, where the fish were quick-frozen for new markets, chiefly in the US.

The number of fishermen declined greatly and opportunity for shore work in the plants increased. The pulp and paper mills at Corner Brook and Grand Falls substantially increased production, and mines at Buchans, St Lawrence and Wabana worked to capacity. New industries were launched with government-backing and although most failed — including a steel mill, a rubber-goods plant, a leather-products plant and a knitting mill — a few succeeded, notably the plasterboard and cement plant at Corner Brook, the particle-board mill near St John's and the phosphorus plant at Long Harbour, Placentia Bay.

A huge oil refinery at Come by Chance at first failed —76 but has been producing oil since , mainly for export to the United States. The huge iron ore mines of western Labrador came into production in the s. Since the Second World War many people have moved from small communities to large towns and growth centres. As chances for local employment diminished, young people left the province at an annual rate of about 5, With opportunities accessible through cheap transportation by land, air and sea, they moved on, mostly to central or western Canada.

The impact of the economic recessions of the late s, early s and early s were sharply felt in Newfoundland, although there was no comparison with the desperate conditions of the Great Depression in the early s. Unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, social assistance and other benefits of the welfare state ensured decent living and health standards.

High unemployment most severely affected the young and there was again considerable out-migration in the late s and early s as people sought employment in western Canada's booming economy. The development of the Voisey's Bay nickel mine in northern Labrador and offshore oil production since have reversed the long-term trend of annual deficit budgets for the province. Increased economic activity, especially in the St John's metropolitan region, has contributed to the province experiencing in-migration.

The province is generously endowed with natural resources, and periodic development of each resource has proved beneficial to both primary and secondary producers. Originally this resource was the fishery, and the economy was wholly dependent on it.

Today the resource-based economy has diversified to include mineral, oil and hydroelectric developments. Agriculture has been of minor importance in Newfoundland because of the poor soil and adverse climate. Less than one per cent of the agricultural land in Canada belongs to Newfoundland and Labrador, and about half of it is confined to the northern Avalon and Burin Peninsulas. Nevertheless, there are scattered pockets of fertile land and conditions are suitable for the growth of hay and pasture crops.

Important vegetable crops include potatoes , carrots , rutabagas and cabbage. Also of importance are fruit crops, namely blueberries, strawberries and cranberries. Minerals mined in the province include iron ore, nickel, copper, zinc, gold, aggregates, cobalt, silver, dolomite, limestone, peat and pyrophyllite. Of these minerals, iron ore accounts for well over half the value of the industry, followed by nickel and copper. There are several hydroelectric power plants, the largest being Churchill Falls Generating Station.

In , the provincial government approved the Lower Churchill Project, a hydroelectric development to take place in two phases: Muskrat Falls and Gull Island, both in Labrador. The project represents the best undeveloped hydroelectric source in North America, with an expected capacity of about 3, MW. With respect to oil, there are four major offshore projects in production: Hibernia, Terra Nova, White Rose and Hebron. Decisions of the Supreme Courts of Newfoundland and of Canada in and declared that ownership of offshore resources specifically the Hibernia oil field was federal.

However, on 11 February an agreement — called the Atlantic Accord — was signed between the Newfoundland government and the new federal Conservative administration, giving Ottawa and St John's joint say over offshore oil and gas management and allowing the province to tax the resources as if they were on land.

Both Newfoundland and Labrador have substantial forests. As of , there were 10, hectares of forested land in the province, 26 per cent of which were stocked for harvesting purposes. Thus Newfoundland became the only British North American colony to try the experiment of independence within the British Empire. As neighbours, Newfoundland and Canada had to negotiate and settle a wide range of issues of mutual concern over the years. Fisheries, trade, relations with the USA, the Labrador boundary and defence were among the most important.

Sometimes, between and the second World War, confederation was raised as a possibility, but only once, in , were there serious negotiations. These failed because neither Newfoundland nor Canada were much interested at that time. With the collapse of responsible government in , followed by War II, Newfoundland entered a new phase in its history, and in its relationship with Canada.

By , the Canadians were coming to the conclusion that incorporating Newfoundland into confederation made sense.