How Joey Smallwood convinced Newfoundlanders to join Confederation

In December of 1900, something happens in the tiny town of Gambo, Newfoundland that will change the course of Canadian history: Joseph Roberts Smallwood is born. Most will know him as Joey Smallwood — the future father of modern Newfoundland.

Five months after his birth, Smallwood's parents, Charles and Minnie May, move their family to St. John's. Joey soon becomes the oldest of 13 siblings. At 15, he drops out of school to work, though he continues to self-educate throughout his life. A voracious reader, he takes a special interest in history, labour and social reform.

From printer to justice of the peace

Smallwood takes an apprenticeship as a printer at a local newspaper. Over the next few years, he gradually makes his way from the print shop to the newsroom (in the early 1900s, journalists often lack formal professional training; the ability to tell a good story is enough to break into the business). In June of 1919, he covers the first transatlantic flights, which take off from St. John's.

In 1920, Smallwood moves to New York City. Shortly after his arrival, he walks into the offices of the New York Call — a left wing daily affiliated with Eugene Debs' Socialist Party of America — and asks for a job as a reporter. He gets it. Over the next five years, he'll work for The New Leader (another leftist daily), the New York Times and a newspaper syndicate.

In 1925, Smallwood returns to Newfoundland to work as a labour organizer. In 1928, he serves as a district campaign manager for Liberal Reform Party leader Sir Richard Squires, the fifth Prime Minister of Newfoundland. Smallwood is rewarded for his work in the form of a justice of the peace appointment. In the 1932 Newfoundland election, Smallwood unsuccessfully runs for office himself in the riding of Bonavista South.

Heading for bankruptcy

In 1933, the full weight of the Great Depression strikes Newfoundland. The Dominion of Newfoundland, self-governing since 1907, is plunged into a major financial crisis. The cost of building a railway across the island, combined with crippling First World War debts, means that the Dominion is heading for bankruptcy.

In an unprecedented move, Newfoundland voluntarily gives up independent responsible government and asks the United Kingdom to rule the dominion via an appointed commission of government, at least temporarily.

The British government agrees. In 1934, they appoint six commissioners (three Newfoundlanders, three British) to sit on a governing committee, chaired by a British governor. The end of self-government also means the end of Smallwood's political ambitions for the time being. In 1937, he starts The Barrelman, a radio show about Newfoundland's history and culture.

Three choices for the future of Newfoundland

At the end of the Second World War, Smallwood gets a second shot at politics.

Newfoundlanders have been agitating for an end to the British commission of government for years. The new Labour government in London listens. They announce that, in 1946, there will be an election for a Newfoundland National Convention. The Convention helps the British government decide what options will be on the ballot for the upcoming referendum on Newfoundland's future. Smallwood is elected as the delegate for Bonavista Centre.

Initially, it looks like there will be two options on the ballot: Responsible Government — a return to self-governing dominion status — or continued rule by commission. Smallwood leads a small but determined band of delegates who want a third option: union with Canada.

Smallwood uses his radio platform to push the Confederation agenda. It quickly catches on, especially with rural Newfoundlanders in the outports. Smallwood promises access to Canada's social safety net, including old age pensions, as well as foreign investment and new public works investments. Confederation gains political momentum.

We are not a nation. We are a medium sized municipality… left far behind in the march of time.- Joey Smallwood

Smallwood's opponents say he's a traitor, selling out Newfoundland's independence for Canadian trinkets. He counters that his opponents are less invested in patriotism and more in expanding their own fortunes. The Responsible Government movement is dominated by members of St. John's wealthy merchant class. Smallwood says that under self-government, a handful of people in St. John's will gain, while the outports will stay poor.

"If you are not a millionaire, vote for Confederation," he says. He adds that as an isolated country of 318,000, Newfoundland can't support itself. His summary: "We are not a nation. We are a medium sized municipality… left far behind in the march of time."

In 1947, two delegations from the National Convention leave St. John's. One, made up of Responsible Government advocates, heads to London. The other, made up of pro-confederation delegates and led by Smallwood, head to Ottawa. They return with very different responses.

The London delegation is told, in no uncertain terms, that if a self-governing Newfoundland gets itself in financial trouble again, there will be no help coming from London.

The Ottawa delegation is initially greeted with skepticism. The Canadian government isn't sure Smallwood's group has the right to negotiate with Canada on behalf of Newfoundland. Eventually, they agree to begin negotiations with Smallwood's group on Newfoundland's entry to confederation. By October, they have draft terms of union.

In the first Newfoundland referendum, held on June 3, 1948, Responsible Government receives 44.5 per cent of the vote, while Confederation comes in second with 41.1 per cent. Continued commission of government finishes a distant third. But since neither option had the support of a majority of the electorate, a second referendum is held on July 22.

In that referendum, Confederation wins, narrowly, obtaining 52.3 percent of the vote. In St. John's and the surrounding Avalon Peninsula, the majority vote against Confederation by a margin of 2-1, but the outports are with Smallwood and Canada.

On March 31, 1949, Newfoundland joins Confederation, with Joey Smallwood as interim premier. The next month, he is elected as the first premier of the province. It's a job he'll hold for the next 22 years.

Almost 70 years after he first took office, and more than 25 years after his death, Joey Smallwood is still a polarizing figure. Depending on whom you ask, he either saved Newfoundland from ruin or ruined it forever. Some people remember him dragging Newfoundland into the 20th century, others remember the end of his term in office, in which he became increasingly autocratic. Whatever you think of him, though, it's impossible to deny that he changed Canada forever.