Newfoundland and Labrador
This is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. For the dominion that existed from 1907 to 1949, see Dominion of Newfoundland. For other meanings of Newfoundland, see Newfoundland (disambiguation).{{Canadian province or territory |
Name = Newfoundland and Labrador |
AlternateName =
Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador |
Fullname = Province of Newfoundland and Labrador |
EntityAdjective = Provincial |
Flag = Flag_of_Newfoundland_and_Labrador.svg |
CoatOfArms = Nl-coat-thb.gif |
Map = Newfoundland_and_Labrador-map.png |
Motto = Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei
(
Latin: Seek ye first the kingdom of God) |
OfficialLang = English|
Capital =
St. John's | LargestCity =
St. John's | Premier =
Danny Williams | PremierParty =
PC | Viceroy =
Edward Roberts |
ViceroyType = Lieutenant-Governor |
PostalAbbreviation = NL (formerly NF) |
PostalCodePrefix =
A | AreaRank = 10
th |
TotalArea = 405,212 |
LandArea = 373,872 |
WaterArea = 31,340 |
PercentWater = 7.7 |
PopulationRank = 9
th |
Population = 533,800 |
PopulationYear =
2001| DensityRank = 10
th |
Density = 1.43 |
GDP_year = 2005 |
GDP_total = $21.534 billion |
GDP_rank = 9
th |
GDP_per_capita = $41,733 |
GDP_per_capita_rank = 6
th | AdmittanceOrder = 12
th | AdmittanceDate =
March 31,
1949 | TimeZone =
UTC-3.5 for the island of Newfoundland, -4 for Labrador|
HouseSeats = 7 |
SenateSeats = 6 |
Flower =
Purple pitcher plant (
Sarracenia purpurea) | Tree =
Black Spruce | Bird =
Atlantic Puffin |
ISOCode = CA-NL |
Website = www.gov.nl.ca
Newfoundland and Labrador (
French:
Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador,
Irish:
Talamh an Éisc agus Labradóir,
Latin:
Terra Nova) is a
province of
Canada, the tenth to join the
Confederation. Geographically, the province consists of the island of
Newfoundland and the mainland
Labrador, on Canada's
Atlantic coast. On entry into Canada in 1949, the entire province was known as
Newfoundland, but since 1964, the province's government has referred to itself as the "Government of Newfoundland and Labrador", and on
December 6,
2001, an amendment was made to the
Constitution of Canada to
change the province's official name to "Newfoundland and Labrador". In general day-to-day conversation, however, Canadians still refer to the province as a whole by the shorter name Newfoundland, while the Labrador region of the province is usually referred to as simply Labrador.
While the name "Newfoundland" is derived from
English as "New Found Land",
Labrador is named after
Portuguese explorer
João Fernandes Lavrador.
The province's population is 533,800. People from Newfoundland are called "Newfoundlanders" (and at times "
Newfies", though this is often seen as a derogatory or even racist term) while people from Labrador are called "Labradorians". Newfoundland has its own dialects of the
English,
French, and
Irish Gaelic languages.
Colony of Newfoundland
|
The Newfoundland Tricolour flag was created in 1840 and quickly gained prominent social, commercial and governmental use throughout the island |
Newfoundland has a number of historical firsts. The oldest known settlement anywhere in
The Americas built by Europeans is located at
L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. It was founded circa 1000 A.D. by
Leif Ericson's
Vikings. Remnants and artifacts of the occupation can still be seen at L'Anse aux Meadows, now a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island was inhabited by the
Beothuks and later the
Mi'kmaq.
John Cabot became the first European since the Vikings to discover Newfoundland (but see
João Vaz Corte-Real) , landing at
Bonavista on
June 24,
1497. On
August 5,
1583, Sir
Humphrey Gilbert formally claimed Newfoundland as
England's first overseas colony under
Royal Prerogative of
Queen Elizabeth I.
From 1610 to 1728,
Proprietary Governors were appointed to establish colonial settlements on the island.
John Guy was
governor of the first settlement at
Cuper's Cove. Other settlements were
Bristol's Hope,
Renews,
South Falkland and
Avalon which became a
province in 1623. The first governor given jurisdiction over all of Newfoundland was Sir
David Kirke in 1638. The island of Newfoundland was nearly conquered by New France explorer
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville in the 1690s.
Newfoundland received a colonial assembly in 1832, which was and still is referred to as the
House of Assembly, after a fight led by reformers
William Carson,
Patrick Morris and
John Kent. The new government was unstable and divided along sectarian lines between the Catholic and Protestant populations of the colony. In 1842, the elected House of Assembly was amalgamated with the appointed Legislative Council. This was changed back in 1848 to two separate chambers. After this, a movement for
responsible government began.
Dominion of Newfoundland
|
The Newfoundland Red Ensign was an unofficial flag from 1904 to 1931. |
In 1854, Newfoundland was granted responsible government by the British government. In a 1855 election,
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.
As part of the Anglo-French Entente Cordiale of 1904, France abandoned the `French Shore', or the west coast of the island, to which it had had rights since the Peace of Utrecht of 1713. Possession of Labrador was disputed by Quebec and Newfoundland until 1927, when the British privy council demarcated the western boundary, enlarged Labrador's land area, and confirmed Newfoundland's title to it.
Newfoundland 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.
In 1934, the Dominion gave up its self-governing status as the
Commission of Government took its place. Following
World War II, the Commission held elections for the
Newfoundland National Convention which debated the dominion's future in 1946 and 1947. Two referenda resulted in which Newfoundlanders decided to end the commission
[Letters Patent - Administration of Newfoundland and its Dependencies - George V - January 30th, 1934], and joined the
Canadian Confederation in 1949.
|
Map of Newfoundland and Labrador |
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador
|
Newfoundland and Canadian Government delegation signing the agreement admitting Newfoundland to Confederation in December 1948. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and Albert Walsh shake hands following signing of agreement. |
In 1946, an election was held for the
Newfoundland National Convention to decide the future of Newfoundland. The mechanism of the Convention was established by the British Government to make recommendations as to the constitutional options to be presented to the people of Newfoundland to be voted upon in a national referendum. Many members only wished 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 50,000 petitions from the people within a fortnight which he sent to London through the Governor. The
United Kingdom, having already insisted that if Newfoundland chose Confederation or a return to Responsible Government, it would not give Newfoundland any further financial assistance, added the third option of having Newfoundland join Canada to the ballot. The option of joining the United States was not offered. After much debate, the first referendum was held on
June 3,
1948 to decide between continuing with the Commission of Government, returning to Responsible Government, or joining the
Canadian Confederation. The result was inconclusive, with 44.6% supporting the restoration of Responsible Government, 41.1% for confederation with Canada, and 14.3% for continuing the Commission of Government. No option had won a clear majority; so under the rules of the referendum, the option which won the fewest votes was dropped and a new run-off referendum was scheduled for late July 1948. Between the first and second referendums, rumours were spread that Roman Catholics had been instructed to vote by their bishops for Responsible Government. (This was not accurate; on the west coast of Newfoundland, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. George's, Bishop Michael O'Reilly and his congregation were strong supporters of confederation.) Prompted by the Confederate Association, the
Orange Order was incensed and called on all its members to vote for confederation. 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 (just before the expiry) 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.
In 1959, a local controversy arose when the provincial government pressured the
Moravian Church to abandon its mission station at
Hebron, Labrador, resulting in the relocation southward of the area's
Inuit population, who had lived there since the mission was established in 1831.
 |
Newfoundland Shield |
|
1897 Newfoundland postage stamp, the first in the world to feature mining |
In the 1960s, Newfoundland developed the
Churchill Falls hydro-electric facility in order to sell electricity to the United States. An agreement with Quebec was required to secure permission to transport the electricity across Quebec territory. Quebec drove a hard bargain with Newfoundland, resulting in a 75-year deal that Newfoundlanders now believe to be unfair to the province because of the low and unchangeable rate that Newfoundland and Labrador receives for the electricity.
Politics of the province were dominated by the
Liberal Party, led by
Joseph R. Smallwood, from confederation until 1972. In 1972, the Smallwood government was replaced by the
Progressive Conservative administration of
Frank Moores. In 1979,
Brian Peckford, another Progressive Conservative, became Premier. During this time, Newfoundland was involved in a dispute with the federal government for control of offshore oil resources. In the end, the dispute was decided by compromise. In 1989,
Clyde Wells and the Liberal Party came to power ending seventeen years of Conservative government.
In 1992, the federal government declared a moratorium on the
Atlantic cod fishery, because of severely declining catches in the late 1980s. The consequences of this decision reverberated throughout the provincial economy of Newfoundland in the 1990s, particularly as once-vibrant rural communities faced a sudden exodus. The economic impact of the closure of the Atlantic cod fishery on Newfoundland has been compared to the effect of closing every manufacturing plant in
Ontario. The cod fishery which had provided Newfoundlanders on the south and east coasts with a livelihood for over 200 years was gone, although the federal government helped fishermen and fish plant workers make the adjustment with a multi-billion dollar program named "The Atlantic Groundfish Strategy" (
TAGS).
In the late 1980s, the federal government, along with its
Crown corporation Petro-Canada and other private sector petroleum exploration companies, committed to developing the oil and gas resources of the
Hibernia oil field on the northeast portion of the
Grand Banks. Throughout the mid-1990s, thousands of Newfoundlanders were employed on offshore exploration platforms, as well as in the construction of the Hibernia Gravity Base Structure (GBS) and Hibernia topsides.
In 1996, the former federal minister of
fisheries,
Brian Tobin, was successful in winning the leadership of the provincial Liberal Party following the retirement of premier Clyde Wells. Tobin rode the waves of economic good fortune as the downtrodden provincial economy was undergoing a fundamental shift, largely as a result of the oil and gas industry's financial stimulus, although the effects of this were mainly felt only in communities on the Avalon Peninsula.
Good fortune also fell on Tobin following the discovery of a world class
nickel deposit at
Voisey's Bay, Labrador. Tobin committed to negotiating a better royalty deal for the province with private sector mining interests than previous governments had done with the
Churchill Falls hydroelectric development deal in the 1970s. Following Tobin's return to federal politics in 2000, the provincial Liberal Party devolved into internal battling for the leadership, leaving its new leader,
Roger Grimes, in a weakened position as premier.
The pressure of the oil and gas industry to explore offshore in Atlantic Canada saw Newfoundland and
Nova Scotia submit to a
federal arbitration to decide on a disputed offshore boundary between the two provinces in the Laurentian Basin. The 2003 settlement rewrote an existing boundary in Newfoundland's favour, opening this area up to energy exploration.
In 2003, the federal government declared a moratorium on the last remaining cod fishery in Atlantic Canada - in the
Gulf of St. Lawrence. While Newfoundland was again the most directly affected province by this decision, communities on Quebec's
North Shore and in other parts of
Atlantic Canada also faced difficulties.
Premier Grimes, facing a pending election that fall, used the Gulf cod decision and perceived federal bias against the province as a catalyst to try to rally citizens around his administration. Grimes called for a review of the Act of Union by which the province had become a part of Canada and on
July 2,
2003, the findings of the
Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada (which Grimes had created in 2002) were released. It noted the following stressors in the relationship between the province and Canada:
*The huge impact of the destruction of the cod stocks.
*
Hydroelectricity resources of Labrador were developed by
Quebec, primarily to their benefit.
*Chronically high unemployment.
*Lowest per-capita income in Canada.
*The highest tax rates.
*The worst emigration.
The report called for:
*more collaborative
federalism;
*an action team to deal with the fishery;
*collaboration between Canada, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador on the development of the Gull Island hydro site;
*revision of the Atlantic Accord so that offshore oil and gas reserves primarily benefit the province;
*immediate and realistic negotiations on joint management of the fishery.
In October 2003, the
Liberals lost the
provincial election to the Progressive Conservative Party, led by
Danny Williams.
From late October 2004 to the present, Premier Williams has argued that Prime Minister
Paul Martin has not held up his promises for a new deal on the "Atlantic Accord". The issue is the royalties from oil: currently, 70 cents on each royalty dollar are sent back to the federal government through reductions in payments by the federal government with respect to its "equalization program". The province wants 100% of the royalties to allow the province to pull itself out of poverty on a long-term basis.
Toward the end of 2004, Williams ordered the
Canadian flag to be removed from all provincial buildings as a protest against federal policies, and asked for municipal councils to consider doing the same. The issue, dubbed the "Flag Flap" in the media, sparked debate across the province and the rest of Canada. The flags went back up in January 2005 after much controversy nationwide and Paul Martin stating that he would not negotiate with the province if the flags were not flying. At the end of January, the federal government signed a deal to allow 100% of oil revenues to go to the province, resulting in an extra $2 billion over eight years for the province. However, this agreement has led other provinces such as
Ontario and
Quebec to try to negotiate their own special deals as they too claim that the federal government is taking advantage of them financially.
As of 2005, 4 of the 10 amendments to the
Constitution of Canada have been concerned with Canada's tenth province.
Population of Newfoundland and Labrador since 1951
| Year | Population | Five Year
% change | Ten Year
% change!Rank Among
Provinces | | 1951 | 361,416 | n/a | n/a | 9 |
| 1956 | 415,074 | 14.8 | n/a | 9 |
| 1961 | 457,853 | 10.3 | 26.7 | 9 |
| 1966 | 493,396 | 7.8 | 18.9 | 9 |
| 1971 | 522,100 | 5.8 | 14.0 | 9 |
| 1976 | 557,720 | 6.8 | 13.0 | 9 |
| 1981 | 567,681 | 1.8 | 8.7 | 9 |
| 1986 | 568,350 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 9 |
| 1991 | 568,475 | 0.02 | 0.1 | 9 |
| 1996 | 551,790 | -2.9 | -2.9 | 9 |
| 2001 | 512,930 | -7.0 | -9.8 | 9 |
Source: Statistics Canada[StatCan 2001 Census - population]Ethnic groups
The following information is from the
[StatCan 2001 Census - Ethnicity].The percentages add to more than 100% because of dual responses (e.g. "French-Canadian" generates an entry in both the category "French" and the category "Canadian".) Groups with greater than 2,000 responses are included.
| Ethnic Origin | Population!Percent |
|---|
| Canadian | 271,345 | 53.41% |
| English | 200,120 | 39.39% |
| Irish | 100,260 | 19.73% |
| Scottish | 30,295 | 5.96% |
| French | 27,785 | 5.47% |
| North American Indian | 16,030 | 3.16% |
| Inuit | 7,445 | 1.47% |
| German | 6,275 | 1.24% |
| Métis | 6,120 | 1.20% |
| Welsh | 2,790 | 0.55% |
Cities and towns
Ten Largest Urban Areas in the province by population[StatCan Census 2001- population rank]Urban Area | 2001 | | St. John's | 122,709 |
| Corner Brook | 20,009 |
| Conception Bay South | 17,904 |
| Grand Falls-Windsor | 12,738 |
| Bay Roberts | 10,163 |
| Labrador City | 9,638 |
| Gander | 9,391 |
| Carbonear | 7,465 |
| Stephenville | 6,878 |
| Happy Valley-Goose Bay | 6,758 |
The 10 largest municipalities in the province by population are| Municipality | 2001!1996 | | St. John's | 99,182 | 101,936 |
| Mount Pearl | 24,964 | 25,531 |
| Corner Brook | 20,103 | 21,893 |
| Conception Bay South | 19,772 | 19,265 |
| Grand Falls-Windsor | 13,340 | 14,160 |
| Gander | 9,651 | 10,364 |
| Paradise | 9,598 | 7,948 |
| Happy Valley-Goose Bay | 7,969 | 8,655 |
| Labrador City | 7,744 | 8,455 |
| Stephenville | 7,109 | 7,764 |
|
Closeup map of Cape Chidley area |
As well as the a long
border on the mainland with
Quebec on the
Labrador peninsula, the province has a short border with
Nunavut on the small
Killiniq Island, ending at
Cape Chidley. This is because all islands off the northern coast of Quebec are part of Nunavut, whereas the Labrador boundary (which was an international boundary from 1867 to 1949) continues northward onto the island.
*
Newfoundland*
Labrador*
Canada*
List of cities in Canada*
List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador*
List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols *
List of Newfoundland and Labrador premiers (1855 - current)
*
Governors and lieutenant-governors of Newfoundland and Labrador*
List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador*
List of Newfoundland and Labrador Census Divisions*
Music of Newfoundland and Labrador*
Order of Newfoundland and Labrador*
Scouting in Newfoundland and Labrador* Atlas of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Department of Geography Memorial University of Newfoundland, Breakwater Books Ltd; ISBN 1550810006; (1991)
* G.J. Casey and Elizabeth Miller, eds., Tempered Days: A Century of Newfoundland Fiction
St. John's: Killick Press, 1996.
* Karl Mcneil Earle; "Cousins of a Kind: The Newfoundland and Labrador Relationship with the United States" American Review of Canadian Studies
Vol: 28. Issue: 4. 1998. pp : 387-411.
* C. R. Fay; Life and Labour in Newfoundland
University of Toronto Press, 1956
* Lawrence Jackson, Newfoundland & Labrador
Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd; ISBN 1550412612; (1999)
* Gene Long, Suspended State: Newfoundland Before Canada
Breakwater Books Ltd; ISBN 1550811444; (April 1, 1999)
* R. A. MacKay; Newfoundland; Economic, Diplomatic, and Strategic Studies
Oxford University Press, 1946
* Patrick O'Flaherty, The Rock Observed: Studies in the Literature of Newfoundland
University of Toronto Press, 1979
* Joseph Smallwood ed. The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador
(St. John's: Newfoundland Book Publishers, [1961] 1984), 2 vol.
* This Marvelous Terrible Place: Images of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Momatiuk et al., Firefly Books; ISBN 1552092259; (September 1998)
* True Newfoundlanders: Early Homes and Families of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Margaret McBurney et al., Boston Mills Pr; ISBN 1550461990; (June 1997)
* Biogeography and Ecology of the Island of Newfoundland: Monographiae Biologicae'' by G. Robin South (Editor) Dr W Junk Pub Co; ISBN 9061931010; (April 1983)
