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Newfoundland
by Ira Dilworth, General Supervisor of the CBC International Service
March 31st, 1949 will go down in the history of Canada and Newfoundland
as a date of great significance — on that day the ratification, of the Act of
Union between the two countries will take place. This act will come as the
culmination of long negotiations carried on in the truest tradition of democracy.
Newfoundland will come into Confederation voluntarily without any pressure
having been exerted by the Dominion of Canada. As a matter of fact this
is only a late stage in the process of Confederation which has been going on
for almost a century. The various provinces that now make up the Dominion
did not, of course, all join Confederation at the beginning, — they came to
their decisions to do so at various times and after the fullest consideration of
many problems just as Newfoundland is now doing.
Newfoundland is the oldest British colony. Behind it there stretches a
history full of incidents illustrating the highest courage of explorers, early
settlers and fishermen. It is in the truest sense of the word a great saga of
the sea and of the conquest of rugged, often storm-swept land. The fortitude |
and high, persistent patriotism of Newfoundlanders have long been a source |
of admiration to all who have known their story. In their conquest of their |
island and the adjoining seas the Newfoundlanders have built up a rich |
store of history, of folklore, of folk music. There is something that provokes
the imagination as one contemplates the Newfoundland story. Take alone
the names of places which a glance at a map will give you — Placentia Bay
(the scene of a historic meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill), Corner-
brook, Happy Adventure, Heart’s Desire, Heart’s Delight, Seldom Come By,
Isle aux Morts, Spaniard’s Bay — names rich in connotation, rich in memories
of human struggle, joy, adventure, loneliness, tragedy. What avenues of
speculation and interest they open up to the sensitive mind!
With the union of the two countries all the richness of this historic back-
ground will become part of the large culture of the whole of Canada. Cana-
dians will thus gain much on the purely spiritual side. It is believed that the
Newfoundlanders will, on their side, gain as their island is brought into close
and vital relationship with the broader story of Canadian achievement and
culture. Each country then goes into this mutually-agreed union bringing its
own fine traditions. The result must be a nobler, finer thing than any one of
the two taken by itself.
Too little has been known of the story of Newfoundland. It will now be
part of the privilege of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to help
Newfoundlanders to tell that story to the whole of Canada. It will be the
role of the International Service to add this new, arresting note to its Voice as
it speaks to countries overseas projecting as fully as possible the life of the
Dominion.
In these days of trying international problems the spectacle of two countries
coming together in a voluntary union with the purpose of serving the highest
interests of each and with the wider aim of playing a still finer, more effective
role in world affairs must have significance. It is an interesting example of |
the democratic process at work. There will be moments of mutual irritation, |
awkward moments demanding compromise and adjustment, but the result,
if achieved through the exercise of patience, tolerance and wisdom will |
contribute to the enrichment of human life.
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