 Any union with Canada was dictated by the British North America Act (BNA), under which Canada had come into being in 1867.After Confederation with Canada, he was appointed Secretary of State for Canada by Liberal Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, making him the first Canadian federal cabinet minister from Newfoundland.He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada representing the riding of Bonavista—Twillingate in the 1949 federal election.