 Newfoundland first asked Canada for help in a return to responsible government.However, the response from the Canadian government was that it was not interested in helping Newfoundland economically unless Newfoundland joined Confederation.The British did not want their colony to become an American possession, and the Canadian government, despite being convinced that absorbing Newfoundland would not benefit Canada economically, thought that the annexation would be the lesser of two evils when compared to the prospect of the country being almost completely surrounded by American territory.