Talk:Dominion of Newfoundland

Dates
1934 was no doubt the year that Newfoundland ceased to be a self-governing country, but is is not necessarily the year that the Dominion of Newfoundland ceased to exist. As pointed out in the article, this is a unique occurrance so we have no examples to use. Newfoundland did not revert to a colony. According to Dr. Jeff Webb, Dept. of History at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Newfoundland remained a Dominion, if only in name, until 1949 when it joined Canada. The Commission which governed the country reported to the Dominions Office in London. See Webb's article at for more detail. I think this is an important distinction that needs to be made in the article.Silverchemist 02:41, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Along the same lines, the Wikipedia article on Dominions provides some interesting, additional information that should be further verified and incorporated into this article: "Until 1931, it (Newfoundland'') was referred to as a colony of the United Kingdom, as for example, in the 1927 reference to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to delineate the Quebec-Labrador boundary. Full autonomy was granted by the United Kingdom Parliament with the Statute of Westminster in December 1931. However, the government of Newfoundland "requested the United Kingdom not to have sections 2 to 6 [—] confirming dominion status [—] apply automatically to it[,] until the Newfoundland Legislature first approved the Statute, approval which the Legislature subsequently never gave... It is the view of some constitutional lawyers that — although Newfoundland chose not to exercise all of the functions of a dominion like Canada — its status as a dominion was "suspended" in 1934, rather than "revoked" or "abolished''"."Silverchemist 02:57, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

And again from Wikipedia: Newfoundland dollar: The dollar was the currency of the colony and Dominion of Newfoundland from 1865 until 1949, when Newfoundland became a province of Canada.Silverchemist 03:01, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Flag
Shown as Union Jack (1931-34) but in article "List of members of the Commonwealth of Nations by name" - "Former Members" it is shown as a light-green/wite/light pink tricolour. Which is correct? Maybe it was the latter from 1934-1949. If so this should be shown in article - if not flag in commonwealth list needs correcting. Tiddy 05:36, 6 January 2007 (UTC)


 * See the article on Newfoundland Tricolour. The Pink, White, and Green was developed in Newfoundland, and has been popular there for the past 160-odd years, but it was never the official flag of Newfoundland in any state --- colony, Dominion, or province. I'd recommend possibly keeping it, as it was used in some official capacity (i.e. it was displayed during the first official performance of the Ode to Newfoundland, the anthem of the Dominion, and was also displayed whenever royalty visited St. John's, so it has a semi-legitimacy), but maybe it should be clarified that it was never an official flag? Trollcollins 13:39, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Should the second flag in the info box, with the arrow that links to the Newfoundland and Labrador article, be the Canadian flag, or the flag of Newfoundland and Labrador? It certainly shouldn't be the Union Jack. Habfan29 (talk) 17:42, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Missing Information
"On April 5, 1932, a mob of 10,000 people marched on the Colonial Building (seat of the House of Assembly) and forced Squires to flee."

-Why did they march? There seems to be some missing history here. One minute, we're reading about a boundary dispute with Quebec in the 1920's, and then suddenly, with no transitional explanation, we're reading about a huge (by NF standards) mob marching on government buildings in 1932. Based on the timing, I'm guessing this had something to do with the Great Depression, but could someone with the requisite knowledge please add an explanation? Thanks.

Standardize the Infobox?
I applaud the great work done on the infobox here, but would it be possible to standarize it with the Template:Infobox Former Country? The advantage of that template is it shows which states preceeded and suceeded the current one, helping to show the continuity between the Colony of Newfoundland (which we should create) and the modern province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Thought? Kevlar67 19:57, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Reference please for the Dominion of Newfoundland being founded in 1907
I have researched the Dominion of Newfoundland for quite some time. I have tried to obtain all the important historical documents to pin-point its founding. What I have found was that in 1905 it was still a Colony, and by 1914 it was a Dominion. So the statement below,


 * "It remained a colony until acquiring dominion status on September 26, 1907 (Reference please) along with New Zealand."

fits ok, in that the year of 1907 is within the range of 1905-1914. However does anyone have a specific reference that explicitly states that the Dominion of Newfoundland was founded on September 26, 1907?

ArmchairVexillologistDon 20:01, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Hello 69.158.145.237,

Just typing it on a web-site does not make it true.


 * http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/constitution/federalism/newfoundland-labrador/nfld-history.html


 *  Dominion Government 


 * In 1907 the colony was granted ‘dominion’ status by the British government. A dominion constituted a self-governing state of the British Empire or British Commonwealth. At this time, the Dominion of Newfoundland was relatively autonomous from British rule and the rest of Canada. It negotiated its own trade agreement with the United States (which was later blocked by the British government) and contributed its own military regiments to the First World War.


 * It was during this period of dominion status that the Labrador mainland and the island of Newfoundland merged into a single political entity. Since the early 1800s, Newfoundland and Quebec (or Lower Canada) had been in a border dispute over the Labrador region. In 1927, however, the British government ruled that the area known as modern day Labrador was to be considered part of the Dominion of Newfoundland.

What checkable reference (i.e., a published book) is there for this?

ArmchairVexillologistDon 05:42, 26 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I haven't been able to find a reliable reference either. The 1907 claim needs to be confirmed or removed. —Sesel 05:21, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

The 1907 Colonial Conference declared that the members attending were now Dominions. This included Canada and Australia which had been formed in 1867 and 1901 respectively. The other colonies attending were New Zealand, Newfoundland and the four South African provinces of the Cape Colony, Natal, Orange Free State and the Transvaal. New Zealand officially adopted the title Dominion on this basis. As far as I know none of the Soputh African provinces asserted individual dominion status before the Union of South Africa was formed 1910. Newfoundland did not bother claiming Dominion status until 1917 when during another Imperial Conference Britain officially declared Newfoundland a Dominion, as part of an effort to thank all the loyal Dominions and colonies for sending their men to fight and die under British generals during WWI. As Nfld was not part of the Imperial War Cabinet, subsequently they were not represented at the Treaty of Versailles, and did not sign like the other Dominions (and India). This meant that Nfld did not become a mmber of the League of Nations and left Britain represent it abroad. 09:06, 27 November 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Noel Ellis (talk • contribs)

In the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Colonial Conference, 1907, Newfoundlands Prime Minister - Sir Robert Bond - is present. He arrives just in time to vote to adopt the Resolution of the conference, as amended. The Resolution carried unanimously. Within this resolution, it is detailed, that self-governing colonies be referred to as *Dominions beyond the seas*, forthwith. Newfoundland, possessing full responsible government since 1855, is therefore considered a dominion.

https://archive.org/stream/minutesofproceed00colo#page/94/mode/2up Pgs. 86 - 95

SquareMeterGardener — Preceding unsigned comment added by SquareMeterGardener (talk • contribs) 09:22, 27 September 2015 (UTC)

Possible Merge with History of Newfoundland and Labrador
Should this entry not be merged with the History of Newfoundland, where it would supply some information regarding the 1920's ?


 * No, it shouldn't. The History of Newfoundland and Labrador covers the period c1000 AD to the present, including the time period during which the Dominion of Newfoundland existed as a separate state.  The History article contains a link to the Dominion article, which provides more detail on the subject in question.Vulcan&#39;s Forge 22:44, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

"was a country" Not so fast...
Dominion status, when conferred in 1907, was not tantamount to independence. And as far as I can see, Newfoundland didn't do much towards adopting the Statute of Westminster towards further independence, in fact they took backwards steps. Perhaps a change in phrasing is needed -- MichiganCharms 06:23, 7 August 2007 (UTC)


 * If there are no objections, I will edit it. -MichiganCharms 20:51, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

A country is identifiable by two principle characteristics; 1. a country is self-governing, and 2. a country is definable by a landmass.

The U.K. identified many self-governing colonies, and among them was Newfoundland. Therefore, by conventional definition, Newfoundland was a country.

No full size image
The full size image does not appear to load. --84.68.89.201 (talk) 22:14, 5 February 2008 (UTC) --Ryan--

during the world wars
In WWI did Newfoundland recruits have their ouwn dominion unit like the Canandians and Australians? And during WWII whose Army did they join - Canadian or British? Starzaz (talk) 14:37, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Residents of Newfoundland served either in the British Army (as Newfoundland was a Dominion until joining Canada in 1949), more specifically in the []. See that article for more information.Cfagan1987 (talk) 02:43, 28 November 2010 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with Image:Greatsealofnewfoundland.jpg
The image Image:Greatsealofnewfoundland.jpg is used in this article under a claim of fair use, but it does not have an adequate explanation for why it meets the requirements for such images when used here. In particular, for each page the image is used on, it must have an explanation linking to that page which explains why it needs to be used on that page. Please check


 * That there is a non-free use rationale on the image's description page for the use in this article.
 * That this article is linked to from the image description page.

This is an automated notice by FairuseBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Media copyright questions. --06:45, 14 September 2008 (UTC)

Thomas Skinner, Jr.
hello, i like to know what is the relationship between Thomas Skinner and Thomas Skinner, Jr.. can't be major Skinner's father since he lived well beyond 1818. so i think Thomas Skinner may be major Skinner's uncle whom he mentioned in his autobiography as a military officer, but not his name. thanks,--chanakal (talk) 03:06, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

External relations
We know that Canada sent High Commissioners to Newfoundland. Every other self-governing dominion also sent High Commissioners to London. Did Newfoundland ever send out HCs to Ottawa or London? --Kevlar (talk • contribs) 21:14, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Realm's Commissionerate of Newfoundland (1934-1949) ?
Could a long-form Name (1934-1949) be the Realm's Commissionerate of Newfoundland ? Any opinions?

ArmchairVexillologistDonLives! (talk) 03:01, 24 February 2010 (UTC)

No. The long form name would still have been 'Dominion of Newfoundland'.JWULTRABLIZZARD (talk) 21:08, 16 December 2012 (UTC)

Was PEI Part of Newfoundland?
The following statement seems to suggest that PEI, Little's home, was part of Newfoundland (at least in 1854). Is that correct? "In 1854 the British government established Newfoundland's responsible government.[4] 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." If not, should it include something like, "...a native of Prince Edward Island who migrated to Newfoundland in {year}..."? Kevin/Last1in (talk) 13:09, 5 April 2012 (UTC)


 * No, PEI was never part of Newfoundland. It was part of the colony of Nova Scotia, but was split off into a separate colony around the time of the US revolution.

Government type
"Responsible government" is supported by the article text and seems most appropriate for this particular topic, regardless of what might be the case elsewhere. Nikkimaria (talk) 00:50, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
 * What makes it the most appropriate, in your view? Graham (talk) 02:08, 16 October 2023 (UTC)


 * It is sourced, and is widely used by reliable sources, in contrast to the current version. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:27, 16 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I don't suspect verifiability is an issue with the current language. In terms of wide use, is it just as widely used in international comparative contexts (excluding simply intra-Commonwealth comparisons)? Graham (talk) 02:50, 16 October 2023 (UTC)


 * I can't find any non-wiki sourcing for the current language, whereas "responsible government" is used in international contexts. Nikkimaria (talk) 03:02, 16 October 2023 (UTC)