MINISTER DION STATES THAT BOTH CANADA AND NEWFOUNDLAND HAVE BENEFITTED FROM
NEWFOUNDLAND’S ENTRY
INTO CONFEDERATION
ST JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND, March
31, 1999 – The Honourable Stéphane Dion, President of the Privy
Council and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, speaking today at a
conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of Newfoundland’s
entry into Confederation, emphasized the positive results of Newfoundland’s
decision to become part of Canada. "Your decision to join Canada has
benefitted not just Newfoundland and all Newfoundlanders : it has benefitted
Canada and all Canadians," said Mr. Dion. "Your decision to enhance
the Canadian federation - to add your identity to ours - produced a win-win
outcome for everybody." Throughout his speech, the Minister stressed that
the benefits to both Canada and Newfoundland are much more than a balance sheet.
The Minister recognized that the
historic decision to join Canada was a divisive issue and that many
Newfoundlanders feared becoming "disconnected from their own sense of
history, their own sense of place, their sense of community. They were fearful,
in other words, of losing their idea of home."
Mr. Dion noted, that after fifty
years, the contrary is in fact true as Newfoundlanders have retained a strong
culture and a firm attachment to both their province and country. "The
English, Irish, French and other groups that make up your population are long
established here," said the Minister. "This is a rooted culture, a
well-grounded culture - a culture with staying power."
The Minister further contended that
the nature of the Canadian federation has also helped contribute to the
preservation and development of Newfoundland’s identity and traditions.
"Canada’s federal character, its dynamic, flexible system," stated
the Minister, "encourages different peoples, different languages, different
cultures, to live together and to prosper together." The Minister added
that "Our federal system is the product of the values that Canadians share:
solidarity, generosity and tolerance. At the same time, it promotes and nurtures
those values."
Mr. Dion noted that by choosing to
join Canada, Newfoundland became part of a federation that tries to combine the
social solidarity of European countries with the economic vitality and freedom
of opportunity of the United States. "By adopting the best of the European
and American ideals," stated Mr. Dion, "Canada has become a country
with one of the highest standards of living around the world." The Minister
added that the recent signing of the Framework to Improve the Social Union for
Canadians marks a new era of cooperation between the federal and provincial
governments that will help them deliver the best possible services to their
citizens.
The Minister drew attention to the
progress that Newfoundland has achieved since its entry into Confederation. He
also praised the economic growth that is taking place in the province,
recognizing the significant role that mega-projects play in stimulating the
economy but also noting the importance of economic diversification and of
emerging fields such as information technology.
In concluding, Mr. Dion returned to
the subject of Newfoundland culture and traditions, paying tribute to the
artistic renaissance that has taken place in the province. He commended
Newfoundlanders for sharing their talents with the rest of the country and for
sharing their own identity with all Canadians: "This country’s tradition
of mutual reinforcement, of mutual assistance, makes it possible for your
Newfoundland identity, your natural voice, to be heard everywhere across the
land - and what’s more, to become part of the Canadian idiom, part of the
Canadian voice itself."
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For information:
André Lamarre
Press Secretary
(613) 943-1838
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