10th+Province

Juston's Summary

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The 10th Province

Newfoundland was the last province to join Confederation. In 1914 it was an independent former British colony with its own prime minister and government. Twice during the 19th century there had been discussions about Newfoundland joining Confederation, but Newfoundland had strong trade ties to Britain.

However, during the Great Depression, Newfoundland was almost broke. In fact, its government offered to sell Labrador outright to Canada, just to meet expenses. In 1934 British and Canadian governments agreed to help Newfoundland meet its financial obligations. It had to agree to a royal commission to study its economic and political affairs. It was a bitter pill for the independent country to swallow.

After World War 11, with their debt paid off, Newfoundlanders had the opportunity to decide their own future by voting for one of three options:

- remain ruled by the British government commission

- return to self rule, the situation before 1934

- negotiate with Canada to become a province

Newfoundlander Joseph "Joey" Smallwood worked very hard for the Confederation option. In mid-1948 Confederation was chosen, but only by 52 percent of Newfoundland voters. The Canadian government, however, was satisfied with their choice. The province joined Canada the next year and Joey Smallwood was elected as its first premier.

TIMELINE: Canada's 10th Province

1763: Newfoundland becomes a British colony

1824: Newfoundland is made a British Crown Colony

1855: Newfoundland gains responsible government

1869: Confederation talks fail

1895: A second round of Confederation talks fail

1934: Newfoundland gives up responsible government to Britain

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">1949: Newfoundland becomes Canada's 10th province

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">2001: Official name becomes Newfoundland and Labrador

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Task

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">1. Use the timeline to determine how long Newfoundland was an independent country. Why did Newfoundland resist joining Canada during the 19th century?