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Was confederation with Canada in 1949 a good deal for
Newfoundland and Labrador? Was it the right path to take?
Or will we be paying the heavy price of that decision for
centuries to come?
It is a question all of us have to ask and answer in
our own way. It is a question future generations will
also have to wrestle with and answer in their own way.
Anyone suggesting such a notion will no doubt be seen
as political naive or even worse, branded as UNCANADIAN!
However, over 50 years into Confederation, all Newfoundlanders
and Labradorians should take a hard look at where we stand.
Examine closely what has happened and was is happening
to all of us as proud Canadians? We have to ask ourselves
some hard questions.
Some sobering statistics will turn more than a few heads...
for the first time in our history, the population of
Newfoundland is declining; there are more of us dying
than being born. We are becoming an extinct species!
Recent Census statistics shows out migration has increased
at an alarming rate, especially in the rural communities,
over 20% in some regions. Since the closing of the cod
fishery in 1992, rural Newfoundland has slowly been gutted,
filleted, packaged and neatly shipped off to all parts unknown.
The remaining inhabitants are struggling to survive as even
basic services such as education and healthcare are gradually
being taken away. Whole communities are dying before our eyes.
To add salt to our festering wounds, there are the
overwhelming blunders of past giveaways of natural
resources. Colossal mistakes such as the Lower
Churchill where Quebec gets over a Billion dollars
each year from our Hydro resources by re-selling it
to the US market while we get a few million. This injustice
will hopefully be rectified in 2041 when the contract
is up.
One would suggest, if Quebec did not wheel so much political
power within the our Canadian family, Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians would now be getting a fairer deal and a better
return on this natural resource. If Quebec wasn't so important
to the Canadian Confederation, we would have been able to put
a powerline through our country and export our resources
to the markets in the U.S. long before now.
Honestly ask yourself: will we ever really get a fair deal
from our natural resources within the Canadian framework
as it now stands? On Voisey Bay? On off-shore Oil? On
the fishery?
Again, recent history is pointing out some bleak examples:
our most valuable renewable resource the fishery was
squandered away or used as bargaining chips to benefit
other parts of this great country called Canada.
As we fight for more revenue from the off-shore oil
fields, we are still handed the left-over crumbs as
we are reminded that Alberta receives billions, while
Newfoundland receives a few million from our oil revenues,
if we're lucky. Except for the skyrocketing price of oil,
our share would still be small in comparison.
But more discouragingly, we are made to quarrel and argue
like little children for what should be rightfully ours.
And when we don't take these left-over crumbs from the
Confederation table like well behaved children; all hell
breaks loose.
No matter how educated, articulated, or skilled we are
as negotiators, we are promptly put in our place by
Canadian editorials and politicians as uppity, greedy
little children or even worse, ungrateful Canadians.
Over 50 years in, and we are still fighting for our rights
as equal partners in Confederation. Over 50 years in, many
of us have to fight not to be labeled and classified as second
class Canadians. Ethnic slurs are still endured and taken
in strive.
For in the real world all Canadians are not treated equally,
prejudices and biases does exist in Canada; there are real
class distinctions. In everyday life, there is real pain
and suffering stemming from these prejudices and inequalities.
More than one Newfoundlander has experienced the pain of being
ridiculed or looked down upon sorely for coming from a perceived
backwoods province or place.
Newfoundlanders have had over 50 years of learning this cold
hard fact.
What is even more appalling, on a per-capital basis, given
our enormous natural riches, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians
should be the richest kids on the block. Economic control and
economic power is the only true equalizing factor that would
bring us a standard of living equal or even greater than our
Canadian counterparts. Heaven forbid we should ever rise up
to such heights!
We are one of the most resource rich places on the planet
with the fishery, iron ore, nickel, oil and gas... we have
billions to the right of us, billions to the left of us - yet
we are struggling to provide even the basic services to our
people, this seems all the more unbelievable given our natural
wealth and resources.
But not really, when you scratch out the underlying root cause
of why we are not receiving our fair share. It all leads,
directly or indirectly to 1949.
Most Newfoundlanders will never believe 1949 enslaved
us forever to Canada. Not only us, but our children's
children's children's... until the rocks turn bare and
there is nothing left.
The Terms of Union cemented our faith.
The Terms of Union forever enslaved us to be the minor party,
no matter what the cause. And in slavery there can never be any
equality, we will always have to answer to our master. Again,
again and again.
We will always have to bow down and submit to the majority
rule of the nation of Canada. We will never ever be on equal
footing in the Canadian confederation. The numbers are not in
our favor. Seven votes means perpetual inequality. Political
willpower and forces will make sure we never get a fair deal.
Never.
Still most Newfoundlanders will not believe 1949 forever
sealed our faith: instead of being the richest nation on
earth, we will always be the poorest province in Canada.
And why should we limit ourselves, we should aim for being
the "Kuwait Of The West" - acquiring "Complete Ownership"
of all our oil and natural resources which would truly give
us BACK full control of our destiny.
For in 1949, the fine proud Nation of Newfoundland and Labrador
was manipulated, rightly or wrongly, to the confederation
trough and slowly absorbed. Not only in the physical sense,
but in a more heinous way - our nation's soul was crushed.
The killing of the spirit is a million times more grievous
than the killing of the flesh.
Murderers, no matter how noble their beliefs or misguided
their judgments, should always be bought to justice. Why should
this case be any different? But where do we find the guilty
party?
The culprit can only be found in these immortal words: "Cui Bono".
Who Benefits?
...................
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