| Last updated at 10:41 PM on 29/06/07 |
Happy Canada Day to you, too 
BILL ROWE 
The Telegram
It all began with such hope and promise in 1949. So ebullient were the times, so full of optimism and positive expectations was Canada over the advent of Newfoundland as a new province, that the greatest election victory in the then history of the country resulted.
The federal election of June 27, 1949, gave the Liberal Party of Canada an unprecedented 190 of the 262 seats in the House of Commons. The leader of the Liberals, Louis St. Laurent, had overseen Newfoundland’s Confederation with Canada at midnight on March 31, 1949. A little over a month later, he called that general election.
It would be worth your while to read St. Laurent’s speech of May 9, 1949, with which he kicked off his election campaign. He opens with a proud new numeral, “My fellow citizens of the 10 provinces of Canada …” and he goes on to highlight the most important of his government’s recent accomplishments: “The first was to bring the negotiations for the union of Newfoundland and Canada to a fruitful conclusion.”
The speech has many references to that brilliant success, including this: “The greatest of our achievements was not even anticipated in 1945. I believe that it was a source of satisfaction for all of you, as it was for the members of the government, that we were able to achieve this union with Newfoundland, of which Canadians had been dreaming for more than 80 years, and thereby complete the dream of the Fathers of the Confederation.”
Oh, happy day. But that was in 1949. Now fast-forward 58 years to tomorrow, Canada Day 2007. What the hell happened? Where did all that pride and sense of fulfilment go? Why are so many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians so disappointed and discontent in Confederation? And why are growing numbers of Upper and Lower Canadians and Westerners fed up with what they see as our constant whining, bitching and complaining?
OK, let’s look at this province’s situation from the point of view of someone from, say, Ontario. He could well argue that our disappointment is entirely unreasonable, and our discontent misguided and foolish. He might assert that our reasonable expectations from Confederation have been more than fulfilled. Hasn’t Newfoundland and Labrador received billions upon billions of dollars of equalization from the rest of Canada over the past half century, and billions more in federal-provincial shared-cost programs, not to mention direct federal programs like family allowances, old-age pensions and employment insurance? Any economist from Central Canada will tell you that this province has received three or four dollars for every one dollar contributed to Canada. Without all that money, this province would have been little higher on the economical scale than a Third World country.
Add in the fact, buddy from Ontario might argue, that we have access to jobs everywhere in Canada, including his province, which we have taken merciless advantage of, and what do we have to complain about? Just shut your big fat gobs down there, he might advise, and enjoy your privileged membership in the freest, richest, most envied country in the world. And stop trying to filch equalization from the rest of Canada even after you have become better off financially than the rich province of Ontario.
Against all that are the familiar arguments from this side. The government of Canada has destroyed our groundfish fishery, probably forever. They deprived us of our rightful billions by refusing to use their constitutional powers to help us on the Upper Churchill. They have treated us with contempt by the lack of federal offices and agencies here. And if ever we do receive equalization while richer than Ontario, it would be very temporary before our non-renewable resources run out, and hardly long enough to get rid of that massive debt we had to run up during our decades as happy have-not Canadians.
Have a good Canada Day, everyone.
Bill Rowe is the host of “Backtalk with Bill Rowe,” a provincewide phone in show on the VOCM and CFCB networks. He can be reached by e-mail at bill.rowe@vocm.com.
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