Pros And Cons Of Joining Confederation

From 1933 to 1948 Newfoundlanders were faced with the possibility of joining the Confederation of Canada. Some historians speculate that Newfoundland was coerced into joining Canada by both Britain and Canada itself because of the financial issues that Newfoundland was facing at the time. Newfoundlanders were concerned about religion, education, and their children. Some Newfoundlanders were debating whether Britain could legally force them to join the Confederation. Newfoundlanders had both positive and negative reactions to the idea of joining Canada in 1948. Historians explain how many Newfoundlanders argued about the positive and negative aspects of Confederation. There were concerns for future generations in terms of education and religion. People who were opposed to Confederation were worried about coercion by politicians and being forced into Confederation by the imperial government. Economic problems have been a constant concern in Newfoundland and especially during the depths of the depression, it was forced to give up its Dominion status and go back to being under the rule of Great Britain for England to cover its debts. The research article, Law, Constitutional Convention and the Union of Newfoundland and Canada written William C. …show more content…
Fitzgerald he discusses how people in Newfoundland who were anti-confederate were the ones who supported the churches and felt religion was an important aspect of schools. Fitzgerald writes “The result of the Commission’s challenge was that at the height of the Depression, Roche redoubled his efforts to provide Catholics with more modern educational facilities. Over 38 Catholic schools were built or renovated, many without government assistance, which further entrenched the status quo.” This quote shows that the Catholic wanted to be independent from Canada and was trying to prove to Newfoundland that they could independent and did not need to join the