The Newfoundland Referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the political future of the Dominion

Dominion

A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...

 of Newfoundland

Dominion of Newfoundland

The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...

. Before the referendums, Newfoundland was in debt and went through several delegations to determine whether the country would join Canada, remain under British rule or regain independence. The voting for the referendums occurred on June 3 and July 22, 1948. The eventual decision by Newfoundlanders was to enter the Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...

.

Background

Newfoundland is the oldest settled region in what would become Canada, yet was the last to obtain either a local representative government or responsible government

Responsible government

Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...

. In 1832, it received local representative government in the form of a locally elected body of officials overseen by a governor. The British only granted responsible government, where the government is responsible to the people and elected officials occupy ministerial jobs, in 1855.

Newfoundland did not send any delegates to the 1864 Charlottetown Conference

Charlottetown Conference

The Charlottetown Conference was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for representatives from the colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation...

, which was to discuss a union of Maritime colonies. Later that same year, Newfoundland did attend the Quebec Conference

Quebec Conference, 1864

The Quebec Conference was the second meeting held in 1864 to discuss Canadian Confederation.The 16 delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island had agreed at the close of the Charlottetown Conference to meet again at Quebec City October 1864...

 called by Sir John A. Macdonald to discuss a greater British North America union. The two Newfoundland delegates, F. B. T. Carter and Ambrose Shea

Ambrose Shea

Sir Ambrose Shea, KCMG , from Newfoundland was a political and business figure in Colonial Newfoundland and later served as Governor of the Bahamas. He was one of two Newfoundland delegates to the Québec Conference that led to Canadian confederation.Shea was born in St. John's, Newfoundland...

, returned in favour of a union with Canada. However, Confederation was highly unpopular with the Newfoundland public, and the Government of Newfoundland did not send representatives to the London Conference of 1866

London Conference of 1866

The London Conference was held in the United Kingdom and began on 4 December 1866, and it was the final in a series of conferences or debates that led to Canadian confederation in 1867. Sixteen delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick gathered with officials of the...

 where the British Government passed the British North America Act. In 1869, Confederation was put to a vote

Newfoundland general election, 1869

The 11th Newfoundland general election was held in 1869 to elect members of the 10th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland...

 in Newfoundland, and was soundly defeated.

By the 1920s and 1930s, Newfoundland was almost $40 million in debt, and on the verge of economic collapse. A commission recommended that Newfoundland should be "given a rest from party politics" and be administered by a special Commission of Government

Commission of Government

The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949...

. Chaired by the governor it would consist of three people from Newfoundland and three from the United Kingdom. Backing the recommendation was the United Kingdom, who agreed to take on Newfoundland's debts. This commission of government began on February 16, 1934, and governed the island until it entered Canada in 1949.

Prosperity returned when the Americans were invited to the island by Britain to set up military bases in 1941-45. The American Bases Act became law in Newfoundland on June 11, 1941. As Earle (1998) finds, Newfoundland girls married American personnel by the thousands, "the Yanks' jaunty manner and easy social ways making an often stark contrast to the Canadian servicemen who at this time began to coin the epithet 'Newfie.'" The American connection worked so well that the Canadian government in Ottawa became alarmed. Earle concludes, "In 1948 there was a short-lived but lively movement for economic union with the United States."

The British government, keen (if not desperate) to cut expenditure after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, hoped that Newfoundland would decide to join the Canadian Confederation and end the rule by commission. Newfoundland first asked Canada for help in a return to responsible government, however. The response from the Canadian government was that they were not interested in helping Newfoundland economically unless Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation.

Although the prospect of full political union with the United States did attract widespread opposition within Newfoundland, Britain and Canada were both concerned that an independent Newfoundland might eventually pursue annexation to the U.S., especially if its economic troubles re-surfaced. The British considered the prospect of their colony becoming an American possession unpalatable, and were also concerned that the old Labrador boundary dispute might flare up if Newfoundland joined the United States. The Canadian government, although far from convinced that absorbing Newfoundland would benefit Canada economically, thought that a much better option than the prospect of the country being almost completely surrounded by American territory.

The British government refused to allow the people of Newfoundland to vote on union with the U.S. Although the U.S. recognized the strategic importance of Newfoundland, the administration of President Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

 also realized they needed British and Canadian cooperation in the Cold War. Also, pro-annexation Newfoundlanders expected that they would be admitted into the U.S. as a state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 and the Truman administration knew that would be very problematic to get passed through Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

. Had the Newfoundland debate taken place a decade later after the admission of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 and Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

 to the Union been secured, the political climate in Washington might have been quite different. After receiving assurances that the Canadian government would honour the leases for bases on Newfoundland, the U.S. State Department decided not to press the issue.

The National Convention

The British government decided to let Newfoundlanders deliberate and choose their own future by calling a National Convention

Newfoundland National Convention

The Newfoundland National Convention of 1946 was a forum established to decide the constitutional future of Newfoundland-Nominations:On 11 December 1945 the Government of Britain announced that there would be an election to a National Convention, which would debate constitutional options and make a...

 in 1946. Chaired by Judge Cyril J. Fox

Cyril J. Fox

Cyril James Fox was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Newfoundland. He represented St. John's East in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 1919 to ....

, it consisted of 45 elected members one of whom was the future first premier of Newfoundland, Joey Smallwood

Joey Smallwood

Joseph Roberts "Joey" Smallwood, PC, CC was the main force that brought Newfoundland into the Canadian confederation, and became the first Premier of Newfoundland . As premier, he vigorously promoted economic development, championed the welfare state, and emphasized modernization of education and...

.

The Convention set up committees to study where Newfoundland's future lay. Many members assumed that the final decision was due near the end of their deliberations, but the timeline was upset when Smallwood moved that the Convention should send a delegation to Ottawa to discuss a union in October 1946. His motion was defeated, as it only received the support of 17 members, although the Convention later decided to send delegations to both London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and Ottawa.

The London Delegation

The London delegation, made up of so-called anti-confederates, preferred that Newfoundland become independent rather than join Canada. The group left Newfoundland on April 25, 1947, and met with a British delegation headed up by the Dominions Secretary, Viscount Addison

Michael Addison, 3rd Viscount Addison

Michael Addison, 3rd Viscount Addison was a British peer. The son of Christopher Addison, 1st Viscount Addison, he succeeded the Viscountcy on the death of his brother, who died with no male heir....

. The British response to the delegation was that it would give no economic help to Newfoundland if it returned to responsible government. The leader of the delegation from Newfoundland, Peter Cashin, gave an angry speech to the Convention on May 19 claiming, "A conspiracy existed to sell this country to the Dominion of Canada".

The Ottawa Delegation

The Ottawa delegation, dominated by pro-confederates including Smallwood, preferred a union with Canada to independence. The talks between them and Ottawa began on June 24, 1947 with the goal being to stay in Ottawa as long as needed to negotiate good terms for Newfoundland's entry. Ottawa was reluctant at first because they felt that the delegation was not an official representation of the Dominion of Newfoundland, but the Federal Cabinet finally decided to begin negotiations on July 18. By mid-August, the agreement of draft terms was nearly complete. However, with the death of Frank Bridges, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King

William Lyon Mackenzie King

William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...

's minister from New Brunswick

New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

, negotiations effectively ended. King refused further discussions until New Brunswick had representation, and so the delegation headed back to St. John's.

Back in St. John's

The Convention reconvened on October 10 and Smallwood presented his delegations report, infuriating the anti-confederates. Just as the Convention decided to debate the delegations report, the draft terms from Ottawa arrived. Ottawa offered to assume most of the debt, negotiate a tax agreement, and outlined which services would remain in the jurisdiction of the province.

Referendums

Newfoundland recommended that the British Government hold a referendum on Newfoundland's future. London agreed that a referendum was a good idea, and left it up to the Convention to decide what was to be on the ballot. Originally, the Convention decided that only two choices were to be on the ballot: restoration of responsible government and the continuation of the Commission of Government.

Smallwood moved on January 23, 1948 to add Confederation with Canada to the choices. The debate ended at 5:30 in the morning on January 28, with the motion being defeated 29-16. The British government intervened in March and overruled the Convention, deciding that Confederation with Canada would indeed be on the ballot. They did this after having concluding, "It would not be right that the people of Newfoundland should be deprived of an opportunity of considering the issue at the referendum".

The factions

Three main factions actively campaigned during the lead up to the referendums. One faction, led by Smallwood, was the Confederate Association

Confederate Association

The Confederate Association was a political party formed and led by Joey Smallwood and Gordon Bradley to advocate that the Dominion of Newfoundland join Canadian Confederation. The party was formed on February 21, 1948 prior to the launch of the 1948 Newfoundland referendums on Confederation...

 (CA) advocating union with the Canadian Confederation. They campaigned through a newspaper known as The Confederate. The Responsible Government League

Responsible Government League

The Responsible Government League was a political movement in the Dominion of Newfoundland.The Responsible Government League of Newfoundland, led by Peter Cashin, was formed in February 1947 by anti-Confederation delegates to the Newfoundland National Convention on the future of the colony...

 (RGL), led by Peter Cashin, advocated an independent Newfoundland with a return to responsible government. They also had their own newspaper The Independent. A third smaller Economic Union Party

Economic Union Party

The Economic Union Party was a political party formed in the Dominion of Newfoundland on 20 March 1948, during the first referendum campaign on the future of the country. The British-appointed Commission of Government had administered the country since the financial collapse of 1934...

 (EUP), led by Chesley Crosbie

Chesley Crosbie

Chesley A. Crosbie was a Newfoundland businessman and politician.Crosbie belonged to a prominent St. John's family involved in hotels, fish exporting, insurance, shipping and manufactring...

, advocated closer economic ties with the United States.

The first referendum

The first referendum took place on June 3, 1948. The votes were as follows:

Choice	Votes	% of Votes
Responsible Government	69,400	44.5%
Confederation with Canada	64,066	41.1%
Commission of Government Commission of Government The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949...	22,331	14.3%
Total Votes	155,797	88% (of total electorate)

The second referendum

Since none of the choices had gained over 50%, a second referendum with only the two most popular choices was scheduled for July 22, 1948. Both sides recognized that more people had voted against responsible government than for it, which encouraged the CA and discouraged its opponents, although the RGL and EUP now became allies. The confederates widely publicized the Roman Catholic Archbishop

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada....

 E. P. Roche's strong opposition to confederation, and persuaded the Loyal Orange Association to advise Protestants to resist Catholic influence. The CA also denounced anti-confederates as anti-British and pro-republican, and called confederation with Canada "British Union". Anti-confederates responded that "Confederation Means British Union With French Canada

French Canada

French Canada, also known as "Lower Canada", is a term to distinguish the French Canadian population of Canada from English Canada.-Definition:...

".

The results of the second referendum were:

Choice	Votes	% of Votes
Responsible Government	71,334	47.7%
Confederation with Canada	78,323	52.3%
Total Votes	149,657	85% (of total electorate)

Results map

The Avalon Peninsula

Avalon Peninsula

The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland.The peninsula is home to 257,223 people, which is approximately 51% of Newfoundland's population in 2009, and is the location of the provincial capital, St. John's. It is connected to the...

, the location of St. John's, supported responsible government in both referendums, while the rest of Newfoundland supported confederation. A majority of districts with mostly Catholic voters supported responsible government.

Reaction to the referendums

As the results of the binding referendum were to join Canada, Newfoundland began to negotiate with Canada to enter into Confederation. After negotiations were completed, the British Government received the terms and subsequently passed the British North America Act, 1949

Newfoundland Act

The Newfoundland Act was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that confirmed and gave effect to the Terms of Union agreed to between the then-separate Dominions of Canada and Newfoundland on March 23, 1949...

 in the British House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

. Newfoundland officially joined Canada at midnight, March 31, 1949. At the elections for the Newfoundland House of Assembly

Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly

The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is one of two components of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, the other being the Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Newfoundland and Labrador General Assembly meets in the Confederation Building at St...

 two months later, Smallwood's Liberal Party

Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a political party in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and the provincial wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. It is the Official Opposition and currently holds six seats in the provincial legislature.-Origins:The party originated in...

 won and controlled the provincial government until the 1970s. Reactions to Confederation were mixed.

Newfoundland as a province secured some significant guarantees as a part of the union. As ruled by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. Established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 to hear appeals formerly heard by the King in Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is one of the highest courts in the United...

 in 1927, Canada agreed to put Labrador under the jurisdiction of Newfoundland, after some consideration. Such commitments carried over to other areas as well, such as a ferry between Port aux Basques

Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador

Channel-Port aux Basques is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of the island of Newfoundland fronting on the eastern end of the Cabot Strait. A Marine Atlantic ferry terminal is located in the town which is the primary entry point onto the island of Newfoundland and the western terminus of...

 and North Sydney

North Sydney, Nova Scotia

North Sydney is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.Located on the north side of Sydney Harbour, along the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, North Sydney is an important port in Atlantic Canada as it is the western terminus of the Marine Atlantic ferry service...

, and a guarantee that Newfoundland would be able to continue to manufacture and sell margarine

Margarine

Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...

, a very controversial product at the time.

Canada welcomed Newfoundland into confederation, as seen in an editorial in the The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...

on April 1, 1949:
An editorial from the Montreal Gazette also welcomed Newfoundland, saying:
The Vancouver Sun also reflected on the results, saying: