Newfoundland ignores 60th anniversary of joining Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation sixty years ago today, but it doesn’t seem to be a joyous occasion in St John’s.
No tributes, no ceremonies and no parties are planned to mark the 60th anniversary on Tuesday of Newfoundland and Labrador joining Canada.
Premier Danny Williams had planned last fall to hold a celebration to mark both the anniversary and the province’s recent designation as a so-called “have” province, as Newfoundland and Labrador no longer qualifies for equalization.
But Williams said with the national economy in disarray and many people in Newfoundland and Labrador still mourning the 17 people killed in the March 12 Cougar helicopter crash, it would be wrong to host a party.
Commenters at CBC News online are arguing about the significance of the event. The first comment, from “Habs-TFC Fan”, says Newfoundlanders are the nicest people in the world. Next up, “Proud in NL” bleakly pronounces today “indeed a black day” because Newfoundlanders were screwed over by Britain for 400 years and then by Canada for the last 60 years. “Dude Man” sums it up nicely:
Why do I keep hearing that Newfoundlanders are some of the “friendliest, most hospitable people in the world,” but whenever you get one of them going they’re always going on about how they’ve been screwed over by everyone and how they only really like their fellow “true Newfoundlanders”? Refer to “Proud in NL’s” comments as an example.
I think this whole friendly Newfoundlander thing is a myth. Nova Scotians are far more welcoming and tolerant.
The fourth comment, from Fuzzy Logic, claims that Laboradorans are screwed over by Newfoundland.
And Screech is not native, it has to be imported, so the Jamaicans get the loot
Only fitting when you consider how all of the national PROXY parties of the Upper/Lower canada majority have ignored canada’s constitutional obligations to NL for 60 years.
IE: Upper Churchill
UNCLOS, custodial management of the entire Grand Banks Tragedy of the commons
Provinces own control and are supposed to be primary beneficiaries of their own resources according to the constitution.
etc etc etc
It isn’t the national PROXY parties of the Upper/Lower canada majority tyranny we need to change it is our systemically flawed tyranny of the majority political system.
Equality or Exit!