Editing Newfoundland and Labrador (section)

=== Canadian province ===

==== The referendums on confederation ====
{{main|1948 Newfoundland referendums}}
Three main factions actively campaigned during the lead-up to the referendums on confederation with Canada:

* The [[Confederate Association]] (CA), led by Smallwood, advocated entry into the Canadian Confederation. They campaigned through a newspaper known as ''The Confederate''.
* The [[Responsible Government League]] (RGL), led by [[Peter Cashin]], advocated an independent Newfoundland with a return to [[responsible government]]. Their newspaper was ''The Independent''.
* The smaller [[Economic Union Party]] (EUP), led by [[Chesley Crosbie]], advocated closer economic ties with the United States. A 1947 Gallup poll found 80% of Newfoundland residents wanting to become Americans,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/05/02/altered_states/?page=full|title=Altered states: The strange history of efforts to redraw the New England map|date=May 2, 2010|author=Michael J. Trinklein|work=[[Boston Globe]]|access-date=September 5, 2016|archive-date=September 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916133428/http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/05/02/altered_states/?page=full|url-status=live}}</ref> but the United States had no interest in the proposal, and preferred Newfoundland join Canada.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Baker |first=Melvin |date=March 2003 |title=Falling into the Canadian Lap: The Confederation of Newfoundland and Canada, 1945-1949 |url=https://www.gov.nl.ca/publicat/royalcomm/research/fallingintothecanadianlap.pdf |journal=Royal Commission on Renewing and Strengthening Our Place in Canada |pages=52 |quote=Complicating the anti-Confederate movement was strong political sentiment in St. John’s for greater economic union with the United States. On March 20, 1948 those opposed to Confederation divided into two groups with the formation by St. John’s businessman Chesley Crosbie of the Economic Union Movement. Unfortunately for this group, the American Government wanted no part of Crosbie’s group and preferred the political union of Newfoundland with Canada. As Peter Neary has observed, the Americans under the 1941 bases deal with the British Government had gotten what they wanted in Newfoundland and went along with British plans for Newfoundland’s future constitutional development. |access-date=July 9, 2022 |archive-date=January 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126105722/https://www.gov.nl.ca/publicat/royalcomm/research/fallingintothecanadianlap.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The EUP failed to gain much support and after the first referendum merged with the RGL.<ref name="factions">[http://www.collectionscanada.ca/confederation/023001-2230-e.html#g "The 1948 Referendums"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20060211154609/http://www.collectionscanada.ca/confederation/023001-2230-e.html#g |date=February 11, 2006 }}, Library and Archives Canada</ref>
[[File:Joseph Smallwood signing Newfoundland into Confederation.jpg|thumb|[[Joey Smallwood]] signing a document bringing Newfoundland into the [[Canadian Confederation]], 1948]]
The first referendum took place on June 3, 1948; 44.6 per cent of people voted for [[responsible government]], 41.1 per cent voted for confederation with Canada, while 14.3 per cent voted for the Commission of Government. Since none of the choices had gained more than 50%, a second referendum with only the two more popular choices was held on July 22, 1948. The official outcome of that referendum was 52.3 per cent for confederation with Canada and 47.7 per cent for responsible (independent) government.<ref name=historyquatre>{{cite web |url=http://www2.marianopolis.edu/nfldhistory/NewfoundlandJoinsCanada-Confederation1949.htm |title=Newfoundland Joins Canada) and Newfoundland and Confederation (1949) |publisher=.marianopolis.edu |access-date=December 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720173301/http://www2.marianopolis.edu/nfldhistory/NewfoundlandJoinsCanada-Confederation1949.htm |archive-date=July 20, 2008 }}</ref> After the referendum, the British governor named a seven-man delegation to negotiate Canada's offer on behalf of Newfoundland. After six of the delegation signed, the British government passed the [[Newfoundland Act|British North America Act, 1949]] through the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. Newfoundland officially joined Canada at midnight on March 31, 1949.<ref name=historyquatre/>

As documents in British and Canadian archives became available in the 1980s, it became evident that both Canada and the United Kingdom had wanted Newfoundland to join Canada. Some have charged it was a conspiracy to manoeuvre Newfoundland into Confederation in exchange for forgiveness of Britain's war debt and for other considerations.<ref name=Malone/>{{rp|68}} Yet, most historians who have examined the relevant documents have concluded that, while Britain engineered the inclusion of a Confederation option in the referendum, Newfoundlanders made the final decision themselves, if by a narrow margin.<ref>Jeff Webb, "Confederation, Conspiracy and Choice: A Discussion," Newfoundland Studies 14, 2 (1998): 170–87.</ref>

Following the referendum, there was a rumour that the referendum had been narrowly won by the "responsible government" side, but that the result had been fixed by the [[Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor|British governor]].<ref name=Malone/>{{rp|225–26}} Shortly after the referendum, several boxes of ballots from St. John's were burned by order of [[Herman William Quinton]], one of only two commissioners who supported confederation.<ref name=Malone/>{{rp|224}} Some have argued that independent oversight of the vote tallying was lacking, though the process was supervised by respected Corner Brook Magistrate Nehemiah Short, who had also overseen elections to the National Convention.<ref name=Malone/>{{rp|224–25}}

==== 1959 Woodworkers' strike ====
In 1959, a strike led by the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) that resulted the "most bitter labour dispute in Newfoundland's history."<ref>Gwynn, Richard (199),.''Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary.'' Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.</ref> Smallwood, although he had himself been an organizer in the lumber industry, feared that the strike would shut down what had become the province's largest employer. His government introduced emergency legislation that immediately decertified the IWA, prohibited secondary picketing, and made unions liable for illegal acts committed on their behalf.<ref name=":8" />

The [[International Labour Organization]], [[Canadian Labour Congress]], and the [[Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour|Newfoundland Federation of Labour]] condemned the legislation, and Canadian Prime Minister [[John Diefenbaker]] refused to provide the province with additional police to enforce the legislation. But running out of food and money, the loggers eventually abandoned the strike, joined Smallwood's newly created Newfoundland Brotherhood of Wood Workers, and negotiated a settlement with the logging companies, ending the strike and effectively undermining the IWA.<ref name=":8"/>

==== Resettlement programs ====
From the early 1950s, the provincial government pursued a policy of [[population transfer]] by centralizing the rural population. A [[Resettlement (Newfoundland)|resettlement]] of the many isolated communities scattered along Newfoundland's coasts was seen as a way to save rural Newfoundland by moving people to what were referred to as "growth centres". It was believed this would allow the government to provide more and better public services such as education, health care, roads and electricity. The resettlement policy was also expected to create more employment opportunities outside of the fishery, or in spinoff industries, which meant a stronger and more modern fishing industry for those remaining in it.<ref name="whif2">{{cite web|last=Whiffen|first=Glen|title=Newfoundland and Labrador's forced resettlement a historic injustice, brothers say {{!}} The Telegram|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/newfoundland-and-labradors-forced-resettlement-a-historic-injustice-brothers-say-170787/|access-date=March 15, 2021|website=thetelegram.com|language=en|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224234604/https://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/newfoundland-and-labradors-forced-resettlement-a-historic-injustice-brothers-say-170787/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Three attempts of resettlement were initiated by the Government between 1954 and 1975 which resulted in the abandonment of 300 communities and nearly 30,000 people moved.<ref name="encyclopedia-p5852">''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador'', Volume four, p. 585, {{ISBN|978-0-9693422-1-2}}.</ref> Denounced as poorly resourced and as a historic injustice,<ref name="whif2"/> resettlement has been viewed as possibly the most controversial government policy of the post-Confederation Newfoundland and Labrador.<ref name="encyclopedia-p5852"/>

Many of the remaining small rural [[Newfoundland outport|outports]] were hit by the [[Collapse of the Atlantic northwest cod fishery|1992 cod moratorium]]. Loss of an important source of income caused widespread out-migration.<ref name="CBC News2">{{Cite news|title=Far from a temporary move: N.L.'s cod moratorium is 25 years old|language=en|work=CBC News|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/cod-moratorium-twenty-five-1.4187322|access-date=December 29, 2017|archive-date=January 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113111248/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/cod-moratorium-twenty-five-1.4187322|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 21st century, the Community Relocation Policy allows for voluntary relocation of isolated settlements. Eight communities have moved between 2002 and 2018.<ref>{{cite web|title=An emotionally fraught decision: Should residents of remote Newfoundland outports resettle?|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/leaving-home-growing-number-of-n-l-outports-make-wrenching-choice-to-resettle|access-date=March 15, 2021|website=nationalpost|language=en-CA}}</ref> At the end of 2019, the decommissioning of ferry and hydroelectricity services ended settlement on the [[Little Bay Islands]].<ref>{{cite news|date=February 14, 2019|title=Nfld. & Labrador: Little Bay Islands votes unanimously to resettle|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/little-bay-islands-unanimous-resettlement-vote-1.5019053|url-status=live|access-date=May 14, 2021|website=CBC News|archive-date=July 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729200838/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/little-bay-islands-unanimous-resettlement-vote-1.5019053}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=The people of this remote Canadian island village are taking government money to clear out. One couple is staying.|language=en-US|work=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/the-people-of-this-remote-canadian-island-village-are-taking-government-money-to-clear-out-one-couple-is-staying/2019/12/29/46d2a9f2-202f-11ea-b034-de7dc2b5199b_story.html|access-date=May 15, 2021|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125054931/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/the-people-of-this-remote-canadian-island-village-are-taking-government-money-to-clear-out-one-couple-is-staying/2019/12/29/46d2a9f2-202f-11ea-b034-de7dc2b5199b_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>