| MS.
JONES: |
Even as we sit here today, the bells of Parliament Hill
in Ottawa are chiming the Ode to Newfoundland over the
National Capital Region in celebration of the sixtieth
anniversary of the Confederation of this Province with
the nation of Canada.
In the 500-plus years of our history as a people,
Confederation represents one of the greatest milestones
that we have achieved in our Province, a union fostered
by former Premier Joseph R. Smallwood, a founding father
of Confederation who championed the cause as one of the
greatest orators this country has ever seen or heard.
Since Confederation, we have seen greater prosperity
for the people of our Province than ever before. I do
not need to go through the entire list. They are already
familiar to us: social supports for families and
individuals, such as the baby bonus; income support and
old age pension benefits; institutions of higher
learning across the Province, such as Memorial
University, trades colleges, and the Marine Institute;
economic opportunities for our people, both here at home
and across Canada as we industrialize through the
development of hydro resources and iron ore mining, and
further development of the pulp and paper industry;
transportation links within our own Province, through
the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway on the Island
portion.
These improvements to our lives are very obvious to
those who recall life in Newfoundland and Labrador
before Confederation. But, Mr. Speaker, Confederation
was not all about our wallets and what we can get out of
it for ourselves. Confederation was also about what we
brought to Canada: a proud people ready to contribute
and to take our place within the larger Canadian
federation.
In sixty short years, there is no doubt that this
Province has left a mark on Canada, just as Canada has
left a mark on Newfoundland and Labrador, and we can
never forget the brave people of this Province who have
fought and died fighting for freedom under the flag of
Canada, just as their forefathers fought for freedom
under the Union Jack.
My district in Labrador has particular attachment to
Confederation, and voted overwhelmingly in its favour.
Those referendums were the first time that the people of
Labrador were permitted the right to vote during more
than a century of Responsible Government in
Newfoundland. For the first time, the people of Labrador
felt that their opinions were valued, that they felt
included which is why today they have a strong
attachment and pride in our union with Canada.
Confederation is like a marriage: no doubt there are
occasional spats and fights, we might take each other
for granted from time to time and we have periods of not
speaking to each other. But, just like a marriage, the
relationship is based on lasting mutual respect for each
others positions.
On this sixtieth anniversary, as the bells of Ottawa
ring, I think all the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador, and the people of Canada, should take a moment
to reflect on how fortunate we are to live in a nation
with publicly funded social programs, a country known
the world over for champion freedoms and equality for
all peoples and a country that promotes peace around the
world.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. |
