Angry in the Great White North

Micheal Holden has some things to say about Newfoundland's shoddy treatment by the rest of Canada:

Equality is what each Newfoundlander wants, pure and simple: to be an equal and proud part of Canada. We have never gotten this out of this federation. We’ve been taken advantage of for 58 years within Canada and through our altruistic characters, we’ve just sat back and let this happen.

We went from being Britain’s first colony in 1583 to becoming a Dominion (just like Canada) to becoming Ottawa’s colony in 1949 (migrant workers to support mainland industries, natural resources to exploit, etc.)

This is why we need the pre-election Harper deal to be respected. It’s what we need to finally make Newfoundland the self sufficient ‘nation’ that she was before we joined the federation.

His comments are part of the discussion at the Globe and Mail concerning Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams comments that Prime Minister Stephen Harper hope for more cooperation is just a ploy:

The implication yesterday by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that a highway improvement deal with New Brunswick was possible because they were co-operating with the federal government was denounced as a ploy to set provinces against each other.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams said later he was pleased that "much-needed" money was being spent by Ottawa in the region, but he reacted strongly to Mr. Harper's statement that the deal was a sign of the benefits of working together.

"I would tell the people of New Brunswick that they shouldn't trust the Prime Minister under any circumstances," he said last night in comments relayed by his press secretary. "I would also say that pitting provinces against each other does nothing for this country."

I wonder is Holden's attitude is typical of people in Newfoundland and Labrador. I hope not, if for no other reason than the Holden got his history rather muddled.

Newfoundland a self sufficient nation that before joining the federation?

Hardly.

In fact, Newfoundland wasn't even a dominion anymore.

You see, in 1934, Newfoundland was broke. The Depression clobbered the island's export-based economy. Facing this crisis, Prime Minister Frederick Alderdice agreed with the findings of a commission that recommended dissolving the government and turning Newfoundland into a British territory run by an unelected appointee of the British government.

In return, Newfoundland got money.

And so in February 1934, the Alderdice government voted itself out of existence. It is the only time a responsible government in the Commonwealth was replaced by another that was unelected and unaccountable.

The Commission of Government was run by Sir David Anderson, shipped over by England to take over things.

Things went well. Anderson's successor, Sir Thomas Walwyn, encouraged the Newfoundlanders he was appointed to govern to join his native Britain in the war effort against Nazi Germany. The influx of spending from Canada and the United States caused the economy to rebound, but after the war, the British government realized that the fundamental problems in Newfoundland had not been fixed. Faced with their own war debt, the British made it clear that Newfoundland would be cut loose. The third and final governor, Gordon Macdonald, campaigned for Newfoundland to join Canada, an unpopular position at the time. The Evening Telegram of St John's printed a poem when Macdonald left, hoping for his safe return, but in fact the first letter of each line of the poem spelled out "The Bastard".

Nice.

In any case, in 1948, two referenda were held, and Newfoundlanders tried very hard not to join Canada. Indeed, the motion to put the Confederation option on the ballot was defeated by those who felt that being governed from Britain was better than joining Canada, but Gordon Macdonald simply overruled the commission and used his powers as governor to put the option on the ballot anyway.

So, no, Newfoundland was not a free dominion and a democracy prior to joining Confederation. It hadn't been for 15 years.

So, no, Newfoundland was not a self-sufficient nation prior to joining Confederation. It was neither a nation, and it had voluntarily given up its nationhood because it was not self-sufficient.

Holden and his type ought to focus on Newfoundland's present and its future potential, and whether Danny Williams is putting that at risk. Making up history is not helping their cause.