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Online Exclusive for #436
Roundtable: Events that changed the province
Being a native of the province, what in your view were days or events that changed the province as we know it? The change can be economically, socially, financially relevant, whichever direction you want to take it. I'm interested in what you think are the turning points for in Newfoundland and Labrador's rich history. - Jay McGrath
Ocean Ranger
"Probably the saddest day in our province's history. Our first large-scale travesty, [it] opened our eyes to the workplace health and safety. The whole province came together and shared their emotions as the Ocean Ranger was lost. These people were involved in oil exploration, a venture that would go on to prove extremely influential and beneficial to the province years later. Yet when we sit back and think about it, the benefits we're feeling from the oil come at a big price, part of which came due in early '82, at a cost of 84 lives. It was on that day our eyes opened and we realized that a) tragedy is not something that happens in some country we hear about on the news and b) we need to re-evaluate what safety at the workplace really means.
"The wound of the Ocean Ranger disaster was re-opened the day the Cougar helicopter went down. It was not only the families of the victims that mourned. Being that we are such a small place (population wise), there's this sense that everybody knows everybody, so we don't look at it as an unfortunate situation for a group of strangers; instead we take it very personally. And we were reminded once again that accidents can happen and the stakes are high." - MUN student, 20
Have and Have Not
"Simple phrases have had a huge impact on the collective ego of Newfoundland and Labrador. The days we were have not I think hammered home this sense that we were somehow second-class citizens in Canada. We needed handouts from the mainland to get by; we had lost a huge chunk of independence. And this went on for years. There were events that were promising, like the Hibernia discovery, but then there were others, like the (cod) moratorium, that reinforced the idea that we were somehow 'less' than everybody else.
"But eventually the winds of change blew in and with the right investments and good leadership we were no longer a have not. The sun was shining. We had that ego boost, we felt more independent and equal to the rest of the country, that we could no longer be looked down upon. I think it was a pivotal day for us." - Nurse, 23
Change in Power
"Any time there is a big shift in political power, there are a lot of big changes that come with it. When Smallwood came to power, his impact on the province was second to none, with his biggest accomplishment arguably being Memorial University. Who knows what our post secondary system would look like if he had not made the decisions he did. Memorial has brought a huge number of students and professionals to the province and has allowed us to keep so many of our young people. And not to mention it has educated our people.
"Second to the changes that came under Smallwood were the changes that have come under this administration. The Williams government has made us (to quote somebody famous) 'Masters of our own destiny'. Developments in the oil industry have taken us from have not to have. Our immigration rates are increasing while our emigration is decreasing. Imagine that, a province that has always been so accustomed to migrating elsewhere for work is becoming a place where people migrate to, and we can thank the Williams administration for this change. This has given us a profound confidence in our own abilities and is attracting people to our province, not just to our university. So with that, I feel that the biggest events in our history have been on the wings of political change." - Federal Government Employee, 26
Joining the Federation
"Absolutely the most important day in the history of this province. We literally went from being the stepchild of Britain to the newest and coolest Canadian province. I know a lot of people frown upon that day as the day we lost our independence, the day we were sold down the river, and they think that there's so much wrong with being a part of the country of ours. From the bad business deals of the Smallwood years, to today's Atlantic Accord fiasco and the ongoing Lower Churchill battles, people think we have such a bad set up here as the most eastern point of Canada. I disagree with them. I see our joining Canada as the best thing we could have done. Not that we had much choice. Britain basically told us they weren't interested in staying involved and we couldn't afford to be on our own, so Canada it was.
"Where would we be had not joined Canada? Sure we rushed into some bad deals but it is not like we were financially stable enough to make deals on our own. I know some people would love to see us leave Canada, but all I keep thinking about is what will our health care system look like if we do? How would we defend ourselves if attacked? How would we afford to provide EI-like benefits to all those seasonal workers? We couldn't. We are much better off being a part of one of the most respected countries in the world and the day we signed the deal was the most important in our history." - Teacher, 33
The Big Mistake
"The day we signed the deal to become part of the country of Canada was the day we were doomed. They have under-utilized our province for decades and put a glass ceiling above our heads." - Construction Worker, 29
No More Cod
"July 2, 1992 was the day the music died. It was the end of our way of life, the end of the occupation that single-handedly made us who we are. The fishery was the reason our forefathers settled here and with one report and one press conference it was over. And the fishery has never really recovered. Sure we've adapted with the crab fishery and fish farming among other endeavours, but on that day our lifeblood went down the drain and with it went the spirit of many of the old fishermen and their communities. The province and in particular rural Newfoundland would never be the same.
"I still remember all the media attention around the whole situation, the pressure [then federal Fisheries Minister] John Crosbie was under. I never did get why so much heat was put on him. I understand he is a politician and he has to serve the people who elected him, but he couldn't put fish in the ocean, he couldn't make fish reproduce any faster. I didn't get why there was so much hatred towards him." - Former Fisherman, 52
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