ST. JOHN’S, NFLD. (CUP)—Newfoundlanders recognize the value of education in the new economy and badly want to take Newfoundland off the bottom of Canada’s economic ladder, said Vic Young, who has spent the past several months meeting with people around the province to hear their concerns about Newfoundland’s status in Canada.
Young is chairing a Royal Commission to examine the relationship Newfoundland has had with Canada since joining Confederation in 1949. Presently, Newfoundland has the highest level of unemployment and lowest birth rate in the country.
“We brought into Canada huge resources for such a small population,” said Young, speaking of the province’s highly lucrative fisheries and abundant hydroelectric potential, iron ore deposits and forests.
“We brought in our people. We brought in our culture, our population. So you look back and see that this tiny little nation was brought into Canada. Now, where are we today within Canada?”
Premier Roger Grimes announced the creation of the Royal Commission in March. Young, the former chair and CEO of Fishery Products International, is joined by Sister Elizabeth Davis, who previously served as CEO of the Health Care Corporation of St. John’s, and Judge James Igloliorte.
Items the commission has been studying include the terms of union with Canada, the contributions of the province to the nation, aspects of arrangements that affect self-reliance and prosperity, population changes and the advantages Newfoundland’s unique geography provides.
“[Newfoundlanders] have an enormous pride in what I would call sense of place,” said Young. “Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans have this great attachment to their province. If we ask people on the island, the youth of the island, do you consider yourself Canadian first or Newfoundlander, overwhelmingly, they would say they are a Newfoundlander.”
But Young said most young people choose economics over their cultural identity when deciding what to do with their lives. While he said this shows an excellent sense of self-confidence, young people’s willingness to leave also highlights one of the province’s most serious problems: out-migration. Combined with a declining birthrate, people leaving to seek work has led to a dramatic decline in the province’s population.
In the past decade, Young said Newfoundland has lost 50,000 people—almost one- tenth of the total provincial population.
Although their report won’t be released until later this year, Young said the Royal Commissioners have found despite a host of problems since Confederation, most Newfoundlanders reject the idea of separating from Canada.
Instead, he said, people want to strengthen Newfoundland’s economy by developing a skilled workforce and creating job opportunities.
