67-671: The Fishermen's Protective Union (sometimes called the Fisherman's Protective Union, the FPU, The Union or the Union Party ) was a workers' organisation and political party in the Dominion of Newfoundland . The development of the FPU mirrored that of the United Farmers movement in parts of Canada. The FPU was founded on 3 November 1908 by William Coaker and nineteen men following a speech by him at
134-557: A fortnight , which he sent to London through the governor. Britain insisted that it would not give Newfoundland any further financial assistance, but added this third option of having Newfoundland join Canada to the ballot. After much debate, the first referendum took place on 3 June 1948, to decide between continuing with the Commission of Government, reverting to dominion status, or joining Canadian Confederation . Three parties participated in
201-499: A United Trading Company store existed in the capital city, no local council did. The FPU did not seek to extend its influence or mandate to cover other members of the broader working class, though occasionally fishers or sealers held rallies in the city and sometimes received the support of locals. Moreover, the FPU's decision to limit the union's political influence to a balance of power strategy limited any impulse there might have been to extend its influence further. As Coaker said of
268-655: A boundary along the drainage divide separating waters that flowed through the territory to the Labrador coast, although following two straight lines from the Romaine River along the 52nd parallel , then south near 57 degrees west longitude to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence . Quebec has long rejected the outcome, and Quebec's provincially issued maps do not mark the boundary in the same way as boundaries with Ontario and New Brunswick . Newfoundland only gradually implemented its status as
335-606: A government and was made Prime Minister . He lost a confidence vote and then called an election. He led his party to victory in the 1909 election with a clear majority. He served in that position through the First World War and represented Newfoundland at the Imperial War Conference in London. His People's Party government enjoyed strong support from the dominion 's Catholics but was largely opposed by Protestants . As
402-449: A lesser degree in Gander , Botwood , and Stephenville . The United States became the main supplier, and American money and influence diffused rapidly from the military, naval, and air bases. Prosperity returned to the fishing industry by 1943. Government revenues, aided by inflation and new income, quadrupled, even though Newfoundland had tax rates much lower than those in Canada, Britain, or
469-485: A result of a wartime crisis over conscription , and the decline of his popularity due to accusations of wartime profiteering and conflict of interest, Morris decided that it was necessary to have a government that had support from all denominations and so he invited the opposition in the House of Assembly to join a National Government which was formed in 1917 to oversee the duration of the war. Morris retired from politics at
536-513: A self-governing dominion. In 1921, it officially established the position of High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (for which Sir Edgar Rennie Bowring had already assumed the role in 1918), and it adopted a national flag and established an external affairs department in 1931. Although the legislature of Newfoundland gave its assent to the passage of the Statute of Westminster, when the Statute
603-407: A weekly from 1914 to 1980. The FPU believed that the interests of fishermen were being ignored by the mainstream parties, and that candidates elected on a class basis would be able to hold the balance of power and influence government in the interests of fishermen. As early as 1910, the FPU began to lay the groundwork for a formal entry into parliamentary politics. In the next few years, Coaker toured
670-642: A year of their inaugural election, the Union Party's agenda was waylaid by the onset of the First World War. FPU members of the House of Assembly joined Edward Patrick Morris ' wartime National Government of 1917 with Coaker as minister of fisheries. The FPU's reputation was hurt, however, by its support of the government's conscription policy which was unpopular in Newfoundland's outport fishing villages, particularly as by taking their sons overseas it hurt
737-538: The Liberal government of Sir William Whiteway as Attorney-General from 1889 to 1895. Morris was the most senior Roman Catholic politician in Newfoundland and had enormous influence as a result. He had a strained relationship with Whiteway's successor as Liberal leader, Sir Robert Bond , splitting with him to form the Independent Party which he led from 1898 to 1900. Morris formed an alliance with Bond to defeat
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#1733085870978804-504: The Liberal Reform Party . The Liberal-Union coalition won 24 of 36 seats in the 1919 general election with half of the coalition's seats being won by Union candidates. Coaker was appointed Fisheries Minister and attempted to introduce regulations to control the prices of fish exported abroad but the rules were too weak and failed in its goal of preventing Newfoundland's exporters from undercutting each other. The fishery declined in
871-571: The Orange Hall in Herring Neck as a cooperative movement for fishermen on the northeast coast of Newfoundland . It was the first serious attempt to organise fishermen as a mass political movement along class lines. With a rallying cry of "to each his own" the FPU sought to achieve reforms in Newfoundland society to attain an equitable distribution of wealth in the fishing industry . At its peak, it had more than 21,000 members in 206 councils across
938-659: The Quebec Conference in 1864 which resulted in Canadian Confederation , but the option of joining was not popular in Newfoundland. In the 1869 general election, Newfoundlanders rejected confederation with Canada. Sir John Thompson , Prime Minister of Canada , came very close to negotiating Newfoundland's entry into Confederation in 1892. Newfoundland remained a colony until the 1907 Imperial Conference resolved to confer dominion status on all self-governing colonies in attendance. The annual holiday of Dominion Day
1005-549: The Tories and served as minister of justice from 1900 to 1907 in Bond's government. In 1907 he again broke with Bond and formed the People's Party . Both parties tied in the 1908 General Election. Robert Bond was asked to form a government. He refused saying he could not because he could not elect a speaker, without losing a vote and thereby bringing down the government. Morris said he could form
1072-538: The island of Newfoundland , and Labrador on the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the original dominions under the Balfour Declaration of 1926 , and accordingly enjoyed a constitutional status equivalent to the other dominions of the time. Its dominion status was confirmed by the Statute of Westminster, 1931 , although the statute was not otherwise applicable to Newfoundland. In 1934, Newfoundland became
1139-618: The weather station Kurt was erected in Newfoundland, marking Nazi Germany 's only armed operation on land in North America. A new political party formed in Newfoundland to support closer ties with the US, the Economic Union Party , which Karl McNeil Earle characterizes as "a short-lived but lively movement for economic union with the United States". Advocates of union with Canada denounced
1206-707: The "feudal an paternal system" that had structured outport life. The church's hostility initially discouraged the continuation of FPU locals in Catholic areas of the southern Avalon Peninsula, such as those in Argentia , Salmonier, Riverhead and Trepassey . Yet other Catholic officials, including the Bishop of St. George’s, Neil McNeil, permitted Catholic membership in the union. Several parish priests, such as those in Tilting, were either permissive or supportive of Catholic membership in
1273-469: The 1920s, causing high unemployment, falling fish prices and emigration from the island. The influence of the FPU subsequently declined and it withdrew from electoral politics in 1924 though it attempted a return in the 1928 election winning 9 seats and becoming a junior partner in the government of Frederick C. Alderdice with much less influence then it enjoyed a decade earlier. Coaker became minister without portfolio and again attempted to pass reforms to
1340-519: The American Civil War song "We Are Coming, Father Abraham, Three Hundred Thousand More", a call to arms written in 1862 by James Sloan Gibbons. An additional verse was added to the song during the 1990s when Port Union was being brushed up to be a heritage site. Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador . It included
1407-556: The British government to take direct control until Newfoundland could become self-sustaining. The United Kingdom, concerned over Newfoundland's likelihood of defaulting on its war-debt payments, established the Newfoundland Royal Commission , headed by a Scottish peer, Lord Amulree . Its report, released in 1933, assessed Newfoundland's political culture as intrinsically corrupt and its economic prospects as bleak, and advocated
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#17330858709781474-399: The Commission of Government. Due to no option getting at least 50 percent of the vote, a second referendum with the top two options from the first referendum was scheduled to be held on 22 July. The second referendum, on 22 July 1948, asked Newfoundlanders to choose between confederation and dominion status, and produced a vote of 52 to 48 percent for confederation. Newfoundland joined Canada in
1541-601: The Economic Union Party as republican, disloyal and anti-British. No American initiative for union was ever created. As soon as prosperity returned during the war, agitation began to end the commission. Newfoundland, with a population of 313,000 (plus 5,200 in Labrador), seemed too small to be independent. In 1945, London announced that a Newfoundland National Convention would be elected to advise on what constitutional choices should be voted on by referendum. Union with
1608-468: The FPU came in the form of attempts to associate it with the Bolshevik Revolution and Marxism. However, the acrimony between the FPU and Newfoundland's elites went both ways. One notable event in FPU history was its protests and petitions to arrest Abram Keanfor his role in the sealing disasters of 1914. The FPU was also mostly a non-factor in some areas of the country, including St. John's. While
1675-482: The FPU was popular among many fishermen, it was deeply unpopular among merchants, the political elite, and some religious elites. Coaker initially had had a warm relationship with the progressive Plaindealer newspaper and Edward Morris 's People's Party , and had eschewed the Liberals , who, under Prime Minister Robert Bond had favoured limited government and retrenchment . But by the spring of 1909, he had incurred
1742-642: The Fishermen's Union Trading Company. The FPU's political role ended entirely with the suspension of responsible government in 1934 (which Coaker supported). The union became a service organisation for its members, running businesses and its activities on behalf of fishermen and loggers. The FPU survived into the post-confederation period when democratic politics resumed in 1949 though it ran no candidates and had faded away by 1960. The Fishermen's Union Trading Co. survived until 1977 when it fell into receivership resulting in its ten remaining stores being sold. In 1999,
1809-537: The House of Assembly, Coaker spoke of the significance of outport fishermen gaining a measure of political power. "It is not an accident we have come here," he said, "[a] revolution ... has been fought in Newfoundland. The fisherman, the toiler of Newfoundland has made up his mind that he is going to be represented on the floors of this House." From the early days of the FPU's founding, the union attracted sympathy and support in some quarters and fierce opposition in others. While
1876-686: The Second World War broke out in 1939. Given Newfoundland's strategic location in the Battle of the Atlantic , the Allies (especially the United States of America) built many military bases there. Large numbers of unskilled men gained the first paycheques they had seen in years by working on construction and in dockside crews. National income doubled as an economic boom took place in the Avalon Peninsula and to
1943-468: The Union Party, "No effort will be made to control public affairs... The Union [members] don’t want to rule..." This meant that even some fishing areas of the country, such as the southwest coast, were deprioritized and tended not to have many councils or UTC stores. This was partly because such fishers were involved in the inshore fishery, which was less conducive to or receptive of the union idea. The union had Protestant and Catholic supporters, but retained
2010-472: The Union Party, campaigning on the Bonavista Platform and in particular calling for government regulation of the fisheries, administrative and constitutional reform, and the extension of education and social welfare . Eight members of the FPU were elected to the House of Assembly in 1913 including Coaker himself, having won one of the three seats for the district of Bonavista . In his maiden speech to
2077-434: The United Kingdom, with the governor as chairman. The system of a six-member Commission of Government continued to govern Newfoundland until Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949 to become Canada's tenth province. The official name of the dominion was "Newfoundland" and not, as was sometimes reported, "Dominion of Newfoundland". The distinction is apparent in many statutes, most notably the Statute of Westminster that listed
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2144-487: The United States was a possibility, but Britain rejected the option and offered instead two options: return to dominion status or continuation of the unpopular Commission. Canada cooperated with Britain to ensure that the option of closer ties with America was not on the referendum. In 1946, an election took place to determine the membership of the Newfoundland National Convention, charged with deciding
2211-437: The United States. To the astonishment of all, Newfoundland started financing loans to London. Wartime prosperity ended the long depression and reopened the question of political status. The American Bases Act became law in Newfoundland on 11 June 1941, with American personnel creating drastic social change on the island. This included significant intermarriage between Newfoundland women and American personnel. In October 1943,
2278-479: The ability of fishing families to earn enough to support themselves. Coaker had promised that there would be no conscription without a referendum but he and the FPU ended up supporting the government's decision to implement the measure without a vote resulting in some FPU council's passing resolutions to censure Coaker. In 1919, the FPU joined with the Liberal Party of Newfoundland led by Richard Squires to form
2345-688: The abolition of responsible government and its replacement by a Commission of the British Government. Acting on the report's recommendations, Alderdice's government voted itself out of existence in December 1933. In 1934, the British Parliament passed the Newfoundland Act, 1933 which suspended Newfoundland's Legislature and established the Commission of Government . Letters patent passed under
2412-587: The act provided that Newfoundland was ruled by the governor, who reported to the Colonial Secretary in London, and the commission, appointed by the British government. Newfoundland remained a dominion in name only. The Newfoundland Supreme Court held that the surrender of responsible government and the establishment of the commission of government "... reduces the Island to the status of a pure Crown colony". The severe worldwide Great Depression persisted until
2479-642: The bulk of its support from Newfoundland's Protestant fishers in the northeast of the island. It was distrusted and opposed by some elements within the Roman Catholic Church , including Archbishop M.F. Howley of St. John's and his successor, Archbishop E.P. Roche, who varyingly took issue with the union's links with the Orange Order , the initial requirement that members swear an oath of secrecy , its unionism , its alleged socialism and atheism , its decision to enter politics, and its perceived threat to
2546-409: The country, enlisting members, helping start new councils, and rallying support for the FPU's eventual entry into politics. In 1912, the FPU adopted the Bonavista Platform, a political manifesto calling for radical change in fishery policy, social policy and governance. Consisting of 31 planks, it advocated co-operative marketing and government regulation of fish grading. In social policy, it proposed
2613-577: The end of 1917 after eight years in power. He was sworn in as a member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council at Buckingham Palace on 5 July 1911. This gave him the Honorific Prefix " The Right Honourable " and after Ennoblement the Post Nominal Letters "PC" for Life. Morris was made a Knight Commander in the Order of St Michael and St George in 1913. On 15 January 1918, Morris
2680-545: The enmity of the Plaindealer' s editors and financiers, and over time the FPU shifted its support toward the Liberals. The FPU was the target of heated rhetoric throughout much of its history, particularly in its early years. Journalists, parliamentarians and others attacked the union for attempting to undermine duly constituted order, for seeking to alter the inexorable law of supply and demand, or being "godless." Later, attacks on
2747-497: The final hours of 31 March 1949. Edward Morris, 1st Baron Morris Edward Patrick Morris, 1st Baron Morris KCMG PC (8 May 1859 – 24 October 1935) was a Newfoundlander lawyer and Prime Minister of Newfoundland . Born in St. John's , the son of Edward Morris and Catherine Fitzgerald, he was educated at Saint Bonaventure's College and the University of Ottawa ,
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2814-494: The fishermen's cured fish at the end of the season at rates determined by the merchant. This Truck system kept most fishermen in perpetual debt to the merchant. The FPU's newspaper, "The Fishermen's Advocate", was founded in 1910 and ceased publication in 1980. From 1914 to 1924, the Advocate was published in both daily and weekly editions, and for a short time in 1917, had three editions, evening, morning, and weekly. It published as
2881-457: The fishing industry but was not successful. The downward economic spiral caused by the decline of the fishing industry was aggravated further by the Great Depression resulting in the collapse of responsible government in 1934 and the implementation of direct rule from Britain via the Commission of Government . Coaker resigned as FPU president in 1923 but retained his position as leader of
2948-512: The full name of each realm, including the "Dominion of New Zealand", the "Dominion of Canada", and "Newfoundland". The Newfoundland Red Ensign was used as the de facto national flag of the dominion until the legislature adopted the Union Flag on 15 May 1931. The anthem of the dominion was the " Ode to Newfoundland ", written by British colonial governor Sir Cavendish Boyle in 1902 during his administration of Newfoundland (1901 to 1904). It
3015-542: The future of Newfoundland. The Convention voted to hold a referendum to decide between continuing the Commission of Government or restoring responsible government . Joey Smallwood was a well-known radio personality, writer, organizer, and nationalist who had long criticized British rule. He became the leader of the confederates and moved for the inclusion of a third option – that of confederation with Canada. The Convention defeated his motion, but he did not give up, instead gathering more than 5,000 petition signatures within
3082-494: The government warned that Newfoundland would default on payments on the public debt. The British government quickly established the Newfoundland Royal Commission to inquire into and report on the position. The commission's report, published in October 1933, recommended that Newfoundland give up self-government temporarily and allow the United Kingdom to administer it by an appointed commission. The Newfoundland parliament accepted
3149-488: The high Canadian income tax. Crosbie, a leader of the fishing industry, led the Party for Economic Union with the United States, seeking responsible government first, to be followed by closer ties with the United States, which could be a major source of capital. The result proved inconclusive, with 44.5 percent supporting the restoration of dominion status, 41.1 percent for confederation with Canada, and 14.3 percent for continuing
3216-552: The island; more than half of Newfoundland's roughly 40,000 fishermen. The FPU set up the Fishermen's Union Trading Co. (UTC or FUTC), which established stores throughout the province that would purchase fish from fishermen for cash. It would also import goods to sell to fishermen directly at a non-inflated price. This circumvented the St. John's fish merchants. Previously, merchants did not pay cash for fish but advanced fishermen staple goods at an inflated price on credit and then took
3283-422: The only dominion to give up its self-governing status, which ended 79 years of self-government. The abolition of self-government came about because of a crisis in Newfoundland's public finances in 1932. Newfoundland had accumulated a significant amount of debt by building a railway across the island , which was completed in the 1890s, and by raising its own regiment during the First World War . In November 1932,
3350-531: The other dominions, Newfoundland neither signed the Treaty of Versailles in her own right nor sought separate membership in the League of Nations . In the 1920s, political scandals wracked the dominion. In 1923, the attorney general arrested Newfoundland's prime minister, Sir Richard Squires , on charges of corruption. Despite his release soon after on bail, a commission of enquiry, headed by Thomas Hollis-Walker, reviewed
3417-481: The prefix "Royal". Despite people's pride in the accomplishments of the regiment, Newfoundland's war debt and pension responsibility for the regiment and the cost of maintaining a trans-island railway led to increased and ultimately unsustainable government debt in the post-war era. After the war, Newfoundland along with the other dominions sent a separate delegation to the Paris Peace Conference but, unlike
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#17330858709783484-546: The recommendations; it then presented a petition to the King to ask for the suspension of the constitution and the appointment of commissioners to administer the government until the country became self-supporting again. To enable compliance with the request, the British Parliament passed the Newfoundland Act, 1933 , and on 16 February 1934, the British government appointed six commissioners, three from Newfoundland and three from
3551-518: The reduction of tariffs on staple foods, improvements to old age pensions , free and compulsory education and a minimum wage . The Platform also called for democratic reforms such as the right to recall Members of the Newfoundland House of Assembly and having a salary for elected representatives to make it feasible for those who are not independently wealthy to be involved in politics. The FPU entered electoral politics in 1913 by establishing
3618-474: The referendum campaign: Smallwood's Confederate Association campaigned for the confederation option while in the anti-confederation campaign Peter Cashin 's Responsible Government League and Chesley Crosbie 's Economic Union Party (both of which called for a vote for responsible government) took part. No party advocated petitioning Britain to continue the Commission of Government. Canada had issued an invitation to join it on generous financial terms. Smallwood
3685-524: The satisfaction of Newfoundland and against Canada (and, in particular, contrary to the wishes of Quebec , the province that bordered Labrador) with a ruling on 1 April 1927. Prior to 1867, the Quebec North Shore portion of the "Labrador coast" had shuttled back and forth between the colonies of Lower Canada and Newfoundland. Maps up to 1927 showed the coastal region as part of Newfoundland, with an undefined boundary. The Privy Council ruling established
3752-545: The scandal. Soon after, the Squires government fell. Squires returned to power in 1928 because of the unpopularity of his successors, the pro-business Walter Stanley Monroe and (briefly) Frederick C. Alderdice (Monroe's cousin), but found himself governing a country suffering from the Great Depression . The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council resolved Newfoundland's long-standing Labrador boundary dispute with Canada to
3819-420: The town founded by the FPU, Port Union , was designated a National Historic Site of Canada as the only town in Canada to have been established by a union. The original anthem of the FPU was titled "We are Coming Mr. Coaker" which was sung or chanted at FPU meetings to show support for Coaker and his movement to unite the fishermen. The author of the work is unknown. The source of the tune has been identified as
3886-399: The union had 1,200 Catholic supporters in northern districts. The vice-president of the union, Andrew Broaders, was a Catholic from Bay de Verde , and during the acrimonious election of 1913 , pressed the case that Catholics could belong in the union. The election held on October 30, 1913, launched a new chapter in the history of the FPU as it started to make political gains. However, within
3953-746: The union, and Catholic schools and community halls were often opened up to receive Coaker and FPU candidates during tours and election campaigns. By late 1909, the Church quietly dropped its ban on Catholic membership in the union, partly due to these fissures within the church, pressure from lay Catholic fishers, and the FPU’s elimination of the oath of secrecy. Catholic councils that had previously folded in Salmonier and Riverhead were reconstituted, and new FPU locals formed in heavily Catholic towns such as Branch, North Harbour, Witless Bay, and Petty Harbour. Coaker estimated that
4020-667: Was admitted to the bar in 1885 and went into practice with his brother Francis . In 1901, he married Isabel Langrishe. Morris was a counsel for the British government during the North American fisheries arbitration in 1910 receiving a knighthood in 1904. Morris served as governor of the Newfoundland Savings Bank from 1889 to 1913 and was elected to the Newfoundland House of Assembly in 1885 as an independent. He joined
4087-537: Was adopted as the dominion's anthem on 20 May 1904, until confederation with Canada in 1949. In 1980, the province of Newfoundland re-adopted the song as a provincial anthem. The "Ode to Newfoundland" continues to be heard at public events in the province; however, only the first and last verses are traditionally sung. Newfoundland was the oldest English colony in North America, being claimed by John Cabot for King Henry VII , and again by Sir Humphrey Gilbert in 1583. It gradually acquired European settlement; in 1825, it
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#17330858709784154-503: Was celebrated each 26 September to commemorate the occasion. Newfoundland's own regiment, the 1st Newfoundland Regiment , fought in the First World War . On 1 July 1916, the German Army wiped out most of that regiment at Beaumont Hamel on the first day on the Somme , inflicting 90 percent casualties. Yet the regiment went on to serve with distinction in several subsequent battles, earning
4221-446: Was elevated to the peerage as the first Baron Morris , of St John's in the Dominion of Newfoundland and of the City of Waterford , the only Newfoundland-born person to ever be so honoured. Lord Morris moved to London and took his seat in the House of Lords . He lived the rest of his life there, only returning to Newfoundland once. He died in London, in 1935, at the age of 76. He
4288-402: Was finalised the Newfoundland delegation requested that it not come into effect in Newfoundland until the legislature had consented to the application of the statute. The legislature of Newfoundland never gave its consent, so the statute was not in force in Newfoundland until it joined Canada. As a small country which relied primarily upon the export of fish, paper, and minerals, Newfoundland
4355-473: Was formally recognised as a Crown colony by the British government. The British government granted representative government in 1832, and responsible government in 1854. In 1855, Philip Francis Little , a native of Prince Edward Island , won a parliamentary majority over Sir Hugh Hoyles and the Conservatives . Little formed the first administration from 1855 to 1858. Newfoundland sent two delegates to
4422-487: Was hit hard by the Great Depression . Economic frustration combined with anger over government corruption led to a general dissatisfaction with democratic government. On 5 April 1932, a crowd of 10,000 people marched on the Colonial Building (seat of the House of Assembly ) and forced Prime Minister Squires to flee. Squires lost an election held later in 1932. The next government, led once more by Alderdice, called upon
4489-473: Was the leading proponent of confederation with Canada, insisting, "Today we are more disposed to feel that our very manhood, our very creation by God, entitles us to standards of life no lower than our brothers on the mainland." Due to persistence, he succeeded in having the Canada option on the referendum. His main opponents were Cashin and Crosbie. Cashin, a former finance minister, led the Responsible Government League, warning against cheap Canadian imports and
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