Confederation was Newfoundland’s only option: historian
James Hiller says social services promise lured many to favour joining Canada, lacking other viable options
When Newfoundlanders were asked in June 1948 if they wanted to join Canada, the response wasn’t a resounding yes.
It was the first of two referendum votes on the future of the then-dominion of Newfoundland.
On the ballot were three choices: responsible government, Confederation with Canada or commission of government.
Responsible government received the majority of the votes, but no option succeeded in receiving over 50 per cent. So, in July 1948, a second vote was held with just responsible government and Confederation on the ballot.
This time around, the vote swung in favour of Confederation, with the vote percentage just over 52 per cent. Newfoundland officially joined Canada on March 31, 1949.
ONLY OPTION
Historian James Hiller has long been interested in how the end of responsible government came about and how the decision to join Canada was made.
After devoting a large portion of his career — Hiller is a published author, was a pastpresident of the Newfoundland and Labrador Historical Society and is a history professor — to studying Confederation, he believes it was the only option Newfoundland had.
“The lack of responsible government energy was very striking. That lack of energy of the responsible government people was very clear, and they didn’t fight,” he told Saltwire.
“They tried various strategies, but they were disunited. They didn’t have a strong leadership.”
Hiller said there were many who disagreed with Confederation, pointing to businessman and politician Peter Cashin, who was a stalwart for the anti-confederates and pushed for a return to responsible government.
“I think that the sense of security and the sense of the Canadian social services are such as would negate any independence.” James Hiller Historian
PROMISES OF BETTER TIMES
Overall, people didn’t know a lot about Confederation, Hiller said.
“I think that much depended on the local situation.”
The appeal of Confederation was the full range of Canadian social services that would be available to people. It would also mean financial security for Newfoundland.
“Given the hard times of the Depression and followed by the prosperity of the Second World War, society had changed,” Hiller said.
LOSS OF IDENTITY?
The vote may have been in favour of joining Canada, but it took a while for people to feel like they were Canadian, Hiller said.
“They were very slow sometimes. There’s a controversy still about Confederation and that loss of (a Newfoundland) identity,” he said.
“Don’t forget that Newfoundland had been an independent country for many years. Since the 1800s, really, and it had been hard to lose that identity.”
PROMISES FULFILLED
In the years that followed, the promises of Confederation did materialize for the people of Newfoundland.
Seventy-five years later, most people would accept that Confederation was a good idea, Hiller said, and if the vote were to happen again today, he believes the result would be the same.
“I think that the sense of security and the sense of the Canadian social services are such as would negate any independence,” he said.
U.S. OR GOING IT ALONE?
What would have happened if Confederation had not occurred is something Hiller finds hard to establish.
“I think it would have meant hard times. Very uncertain times,” he said.
Even today, many say Newfoundland should have joined the United States, but that was not an option on either referendum.
“It was certainly discussed, and one might have thought that it was a realistic option, but the British would not allow it,” he added.
Had it been an option, Hiller said, it would have possibly gained a majority. “But it’s very uncertain.” While some provinces have entertained the idea of separating from Canada, Hiller is quite adamant it’s not something Newfoundland and Labrador should consider.
“One of the features about Newfoundland society is its loyalty, and I think that it would be expressed. I don’t think anybody would have thought of leaving,” said Hiller.