The Newfoundland Referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the future of the British Colony of Newfoundland. They occured on July 3 and July 22, 1948. The eventual decision by Newfoundlanders was to enter the Canadian Confederation. A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... Location of the British overseas territories (British Antarctic Territory and Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus not shown) A British overseas territory is one of 14 (as of 2006) territories which are not part of the United Kingdom but come under its sovereignty. ... Newfoundland (French: Terre-Neuve; Irish: Talamh an Éisc; Latin: Terra Nova) is a large island off the northeast coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... We dont have an article called Canadian-confederation Start this article Search for Canadian-confederation in. ...

Background

Newfoundland was the oldest settled region in Canada, but the last to get a local government. Newfoundland recieved local representitive government finally in 1832 ^[1]. In 1855, Newfoundland was granted responsible government ^[1]. When the Charlottetown Conference was called in 1864, Newfoundland didn't send any delegates. When the Quebec Conference was called later that year, Newfoundland sent two delegates, F. B. T. Carter and Ambrose Shea, who both came back to Newfoundland very much in favour of a union with Canada ^[2]. The Government of Newfoundland took no action, and were not represented at the London Conference in 1866 when the British North America Act was passed by the British Government. Responsible government is a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. ... Delegates of the Charlottetown Convention The Charlottetown Conference was a conference in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for representatives from the colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation. ... Delegates of the convention The Quebec Conference was the second meeting held in 1864 to discuss Canadian Confederation. ... Sir Ambrose Shea, one of the fathers of the Canadian Confederation. ... The London Conference was held in the United Kingdom in December 1866 and was the final in a series of conferences that led to Canadian confederation in 1867. ... The British North America Acts 1867–1975 are a series of Acts of the British Parliament dealing with the government of Canada. ...

In the 1920s and 1930s, Newfoundland was in almost $40 million in debt ^[3], and on the verge of economic colapse. A commision was called, and recomended that Newfoundland should be "given a rest from party politics" ^[3], and a special "commission of government", consisting of 3 people of Newfoundland and 3 from the United Kingdom and chaired by the governor, should govern the island ^[3]. The United Kingdom also agreed to take on Newfoundland's debts. This commission of government governed the island until it entered Canada in 1949.

The Referendums

In 1947, a delegation of 7 people were sent by Newfoundland to the Government of Canada to negotiate terms for Newfoundland entering the Canadian Confederation. A recomendation was also sent to the British Government to hold a referendum on Newfoundland's future. London agreed, and a referendum was set up. Originally, only two choices were on the ballot: restoration of responsible government, and the continuation of the Commission of Government ^[4]. A third option was later added to the ballots; the choice to join the Canadian Confederation. We dont have an article called Canadian-confederation Start this article Search for Canadian-confederation in. ...

In the first referendum the votes were as follows: ^[4]

Since none of the choices had gained over 50%, the Commission Government was dropped, and another referendum was held. The results of the second referendum were: ^[4]

Newfoundland then began to negotiate with Canada for a union. Terms were sent to the British Government, and the British North America Act, 1949 was passed by the British House of Commons. Newfoundland officially joined Canada at midnight, March 31, 1949 ^[4]. The Newfoundland Act was an Act of Parliament that confirmed and gave effect to the Terms of Union agreed to between the Dominion of Canada and the British colony of Newfoundland on March 23, 1949. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Notes

General References

• The Newfoundland Referendums of July 3 and July 22, 1948
• Newfoundland History