NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/can/politics/11580

Text File | 1993-01-21 | 3.4 KB | 72 lines

Newsgroups: can.politics
Path: sparky!uunet!newsflash.concordia.ca!nstn.ns.ca!news.ucs.mun.ca!kean.ucs.mun.ca!jmorry
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Labrador boundary (was Re: S.N.A.G.G.)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Lines: 60
Sender: [e-mail] (NNTP server account)
Organization: Memorial University. St.John's Nfld, Canada
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 20:10:24 GMT

In article <[e-mail]>, CZ94 <[e-mail]> writes:
> In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (JOHN LAROCQUE) writes:
>>In article <[e-mail]> CZ94 <[e-mail]> writes:
>>
>>>>Ever since Mackenzie King manipulated Labrador in the Newfie's favor and
>>>>they foolishly voted for Confederation.....
>>
>>>Are you seriously suggesting that Nfld opted
>>>for Confederation in 1949 because they had won the Labrador
>>>boundary dispute 22 years earlier?  Care to provide details?
>>
>>As for the statement on Labrador - I am not making a connection
>>(22 years is a long time) but it is worth thinking about in discussing
>>just why they voted for confederation. I may dig up this article from
>>a Nfld history teacher which provides some details on the Labrador
>>dispute. He says the King admin tipped the scales in the Newfie's
>>favour - I can't wait for the Quebec nationalists on the net to
>>pick up on that one - "Newfie says Labrador belongs to Quebec".

For all intents and purposes, Quebec indirectly owns Labrador. They
reap a $600 million annual profit from the re-sale of Churchill Falls
hydroelectric power, purchased from the Newfoundland government at 1966
prices. We're locked into that contract until somewhere around 2020, I
believe. That kind of money would come in mighty handy around here
about now. Morally, one would think that a fairer
re-negotiation of that asinine contract would be in order (what *was*
Joey Smallwood thinking in 1966, at all, at all). But hey, that's business,
isn't it?

>
> This seems very improbable to me, given King's heavy dependence
> on Quebec for electoral success.  Why would he want to antagonize
> Quebec in favor of Nfld?  But I'd be interested in seeing a
> summary of the article you mention.
>>
>>Let's ask the Newfies the question that Uncle Ron asked Americans
>>12 years ago "Are you better off today then you were 50 years ago?".
>
> Any Newfoundlanders care to comment?

Let's take a look at it: 21% retail sales tax, no fishery left, 22%
unemployment rate, fire sale of Labrador hydro power to Quebec,
mass exodus of our best young talent - but wait a minute: Canada gave us UI
and the Cod Moratorium compensation package - that ought to shut us
up; we've got a Federal Fisheries department that knows exactly how
many fish there are in the sea and how many can be safely caught
(thereby ensuring our unending gratitude to Ottawa for safely managing
our primary renewable resource); and finally, we've got Hibernia,
which will give us 3000 temporary construction jobs, (but then again,
maybe will be the answer to our economic woes).

I'd be a lunatic to say we'd be better off outside of Canada, but
sometimes, you just gotta wonder.

...Jamie

>>
> Tom Box
> [e-mail]
>