Don't Tell the Newfoundlanders: The True Story of Newfoundland's Confederation with Canada

by Greg Malone

Overview

The true story, drawn from official documents and hours of personal interviews, of how Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation and became Canada's tenth province in 1949.

A rich cast of characters--hailing from Britain, America, Canada and Newfoundland--battle it out for the prize of the resource-rich, financially solvent, militarily strategic island. The twists and turns are as dramatic as any spy novel and extremely surprising, since the "official" version of Newfoundland history has held for over fifty years almost without question. Don't Tell the Newfoundlanders will change all that.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307401342
Publisher:	Knopf Canada
Publication date:	01/28/2014
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

GREG MALONE, with Tommy Sexton, began what became CODCO, a satirical comedy show that ran for 63 episodes on CBC TV and included Cathy Jones, Mary Walsh and Andy Jones. As a political activist, Malone participated in the campaign that stopped the privatization of Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. Malone has championed other environmental causes, including fighting the importation of garbage to Newfoundland. After the death of Tommy Sexton, Malone devoted some years of his life to raise awareness of the impediment prejudice can be to the health care of persons infected with HIV or living with AIDS. He is the author of the acclaimed memoir, You Better Watch Out, and is currently a director and actor who lives in St. John's.

Table of Contents

Prologue ix

1 The First Stone: From Dominion to Colony 1

2 For All Mankind: The Commission of Government 16

3 Attlee in Newfoundland: Holding On for Britain 33

4 Problem Child: The 1945 Deal 59

5 The Fairest Possible Start: The National Convention 79

6 Cold Shoulder: The Newfoundland Delegation to London 109

7 Warm Welcome: The Newfoundland Delegation to Ottawa 128

8 Words, Words, Words: The Referendum Ballot 150

9 Limitless Funds: The First Referendum Campaign 163

10 A Poor Majority: The Second Referendum Campaign 178

11 The Right Sort of People: The Second Delegation to Ottawa 194

12 Celebration 208

13 All for the Best 214

14 Neither Worthily nor Well 222

15 To the Victors Go the Spoils 229

Epilogue 237

Acknowledgements 241

Photo Credits 243

Appendices

A Dramatis Personae 245

B Chronology of Main Events 250

C Maps of Dominion of Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada's Atlantic Provinces 252

D Results of First and Second Referenda 254

E Terms of Union, 1949 256

F "Keep Up the Fince," Harold Paddock 276

Notes 279

Bibliography 293

Index 297

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

NATIONAL BESTSELLER A Hill Times Best Book [2012]
 
“Offers a valuable perspective on Canadian history.”
—Toronto Star
 
“A surprising and fascinating history of how Newfoundland and Labrador became Canada’s tenth province.”
—The Commentary
 
“Fascinating and thought-provoking.”
—The Telegram
 
“Don’t Tell the Newfoundlanders is a serious work of scholarship and Malone’s grasp of the complicated history of a complicated period is masterful…. Malone…has a first-rate style which enables him to render complex historical detail accessible and vividly real to a wide swath of potential readers. I couldn’t put the book down.”
—The Independent (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Editorial Reviews

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A Hill Times Best Book 

Finalist for the BMO Winterset Award

Finalist for the Atlantic Book Awards’ Rogers Communications Award for Non-Fiction

“Malone uncovers threads that when pulled could lead to the unravelling of our entire confederation. Reads like fiction but sadly is the shocking truth. Fascinating.” —Rick Mercer

“Offers a valuable perspective on Canadian history.” —Toronto Star
 
“A surprising and fascinating history of how Newfoundland and Labrador became Canada’s tenth province.” —The Commentary
 
“Fascinating and thought-provoking.” —The Telegram
 
“Don’t Tell the Newfoundlanders is a serious work of scholarship and Malone’s grasp of the complicated history of a complicated period is masterful…. Malone…has a first-rate style which enables him to render complex historical detail accessible and vividly real to a wide swath of potential readers. I couldn’t put the book down.” —The Independent (Newfoundland and Labrador)

“I grew up, like many Newfoundlanders, sensing that something had been very wrong about the whole process of Confederation but not knowing exactly what. So I’m very grateful to Greg Malone for doing the research that finally lays the whole sordid story bare. It may or may not change the way Newfoundlanders behave towards Canada, but it will certainly change the way we think about the relationship.” —Gwynne Dyer

From the Publisher