Hey Canada - Here it is!!! Our Scrapbook on Confederation

First things first...

Meet Loyola Hearn - Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Newfoundland and Labrador's representative in the Federal Cabinet.

This is the fellow who promised custodial management of the nose and tail of the Grand Banks and Flemish Cap. He lied. This is also the fellow who voted against Newfoundland and Labrador by supporting a budget and amendments to the equalization formula - that did not deliver another promise to remove non-renewable resource revenues from equalization. He and the Prime Minister lied.




Now let me introduce you to Tom Rideout Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture for Newfoundland and Labrador. This is the fellow who just finished overseeing the destruction of Newfoundland and Labrador's greatest fishing company FPI. Rather than use the legislature to ensure the people of Newfoundland and Labrador would get the best of the deal - he allowed the great marketing arm of the company drift away. Further the fish will eventually be controlled by Iceland and Nova Scotia interests.


Then there is this fellow - John Crosbie the infamous Newfoundlander and Labradorian who oversaw the elimination of the railway for pittance and the grand announcer of the moratorium on ground-fish stocks for Canada. He was the federal Minister who said the moratorium would probably go one for a few years before the fish stocks recovered. That was 1992 - they are not back yet - it is now 15 years later. Pour me another Tequila Sheila "John" should pass the stuff around as....



60,000 people left Newfoundland and Labrador since the moratorium.

Term 22 gave the fishery to the feds shortly after confederation.

Also found Term 31

31. At the date of Union, or as soon thereafter as practicable, Canada will take over the following services and will as from the date of Union relieve the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador of the public costs incurred in respect of each service taken over, namely,

(a) the Newfoundland Railway, including steamship and other marine services;

(b) The Newfoundland Hotel, if requested by the Government of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador within six months from the date of Union:

(c) postal and publicly owned telecommunication services;

(d) civil aviation, including Gander Airport;

(e) customs and excise;

(f) defence;

(g) protection and encouragement of fisheries and operation of bait services;

(h) geological, topographical, geodetic, and hydrographic surveys;

(i) lighthouses, fog alarms, buoys, beacons, and other public works and services in aid of navigation and shipping;

(j) marine hospitals, quarantine, and the care of shipwrecked crews;

(k) the public radio broadcasting system; and

(I) other public services similar in kind to those provided at the date of Union for the people of Canada generally.

and then
32(1)

32. (1) Canada will maintain in accordance with the traffic offering a freight and passenger steamship service between North Sydney and Port aux Basques, which, on completion of a motor highway between Corner Brook and Port aux Basques, will include suitable provision for the carriage of motor vehicles:

We will pick that up a little later.


Fsih gone and futures of thousands of children like the boy in the picture gone.

Please Canada notice 31(g)
At the date of Union, or as soon thereafter as practicable, Canada will take over the following services and will as from the date of Union relieve the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador of the public costs incurred in respect of each service taken over, namely,protection and encouragement of fisheries and operation of bait services

This has not occurred and as a result we have lost over 60,000 people of a population of 500,000 - over 10% - as a result of the federal government's mismanagement of the fishery.

If Ontario or Quebec or Alberta lost 10% of their population as a result of direct mismanagement of a renewable resource what would the people there demand???




Extinct
Then there is Term 31(a)
At the date of Union, or as soon thereafter as practicable, Canada will take over the following services and will as from the date of Union relieve the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador of the public costs incurred in respect of each service taken over, namely,the Newfoundland Railway, including steamship and other marine services.

The railway gone for a one time commitment of funds to complete the Trans Canada highway with four lanes. Oh well money gone and no funds for maintenance.

Check out the ruts in our highway as all the freight is on the road and not on the track. Canada off the hook again.

The there is the ferry - you know the one that connects the country - Port aux Basques to North Sydney. Term 32 (1)

Canada will maintain in accordance with the traffic offering a freight and passenger steamship service between North Sydney and Port aux Basques, which, on completion of a motor highway between Corner Brook and Port aux Basques, will include suitable provision for the carriage of motor vehicles:



We don't have one of these: The Confederation Bridge connecting Prince Edward Island to mainland Canada. No we have the "ferry". Expensive - often delayed - cancelled - and not pleasing to many consumers. This raises the rates of our consumable goods and detracts from our great tourism potential.

So Canada - we are not prepared to stay down - unable to use our non-renewable resource revenues to try and correct some of the damage the federal government is responsible for. And it's time you paid up - replace the value of the lost fishing renewable - and while you are at it. How about this?



The mighty Churchill River and Falls producing over 5000 mw's of power primarily used in Quebec for their economic development and tremendous hydro profits - significant in making Hydro-Quebec what it is today. You see Canada the feds did not stand up for Newfoundland and Labrador when it wanted the right to wheel power through Quebec to markets. Although PM Trudeau said it was the right of Canada to intervene - they did not.

Today Quebec looks forward to buying the power from us at 1/4 cent per KWH and reselling it at between 6 and 20 cents per KWH. You do the math Canada.

Where's the industry in Newfoundland and Labrador? Following our natural resources including renewable and non-renewable energy west to our neighbouring provinces - unfortunately our people are following.




Picture by the Independent Newspaper

Thousands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians lined up to leave this province for mainland Canada. What a legacy of deceit and abuse. We have all the reason in the world to leave Canada - and certainly every reason to be asking for a fair share.