The legacy of 1949: How Newfoundland’s vote reshaped history

About 75 years ago this week, many Newfoundlanders were feeling pretty nervous as the days and hours ticked down to March 31, 1949.

Their world was about to change, thanks to a vote that had happened about seven months before to join Canada.

But it was hardly a united vote — only about 52 per cent of Newfoundlanders voted in favour of Confederation over the other option, dominion status.

A previous vote held in June 1948 had offered a third option — continuing the Commission of Government — but none of the options received the required 50 per cent, which demonstrates just how divided the island was on the decision.

One of the favoured choices among many Newfoundlanders — potentially joining the U.S. — wasn’t even included as an option. One can only wonder what would have happened if that had been on the ballot.

Still, the impact of those votes in 1948 rocked Newfoundland. It tore people apart, pitting families against each other and turning neighbour against neighbour. Today, many of us likely know someone who has proudly declared, “I was born a Newfoundlander, not a Canadian.”

And there are others, like Jane Dooley, now 101, who was in her mid-20s and living in Sweet Bay, in Bonavista Bay, when the Confederation vote was held, and opted to vote against Confederation even though she thought joining Canada would be the best choice. Her reason? She followed her heart and voted the same way as her husband, who was opposed. Looking back, young people from Newfoundland and Labrador today likely don’t understand what all the fuss was about. After all, we grew up knowing we were Canadian and didn’t know a life without all the benefits that were promised to our parents and grandparents: schools, hospitals, roads across the island.

And we can’t forget the Baby Bonus, which was likely the first money our mothers or grandmothers had in their own names, helping to make Joey Smallwood, Newfoundland’s first premier, a hero to many women. We’ll dive into that in a story later this month.

But there are negatives to Confederation as well. It likely helped speed up the resettlement movement because delivering all those promised services to remote corners of the province was a difficult task.

And we can’t forget that the presence of Indigenous peoples on the island was denied, which meant they were given no consideration under the Indian Act, as other First Nations people were given when their provinces joined.

It’s a wrong that can’t be forgotten, and set back Indigenous people in our province by decades. Why they were left out is a mystery — after all, the negotiating team considered minor items like margerine so important that it was written in the Terms of Union that the Government of Canada wouldn’t restrict its sale in the newly formed province.

If small details like that could be considered, an entire population of people should not have been excluded. We’ll dive into that story next week as well.

The Telegram began sharing stories about Confederation this week and will continue to do so on a wide variety of topics in the coming days as the 75th anniversary approaches. We hope it will offer different perspectives and put the challenging days leading up to March 31, 1949, in a new focus.

“Looking back, young people from Newfoundland and Labrador today likely don’t understand what all the fuss was about.”