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 50^th 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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André Lamarre
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