Canadians at Last

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Raymond B. Blake, Canadians at Last: Canada Integrates Newfoundland as a Province (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1994).

On March 31, 1949, the Dominion of Newfoundland became Canada’s tenth province, 82 years after Confederation (1867). Behind this simple fact is a complex story rich in detail and drama--social, political, economic, cultural. Raymond Blake, in Canadians at Last, examines a crucial piece of this story--the successes and struggles of the integration of Newfoundland into Canada--in the 10-year timeframe from approximately 1948 to 1957. Why does he do this? What is his purpose? Blake notes that there clearly not a lot of research been done on this vital time period. He seeks to inform the reader of the complexities of integration by researching many different sources from this time and thus fill in the gaps. What is the book about? How has the author organized his examination of the unique difficulties and approaches that both parties experienced in the process of Union? Comprised of six chapters, the book begins by introducing the economic conditions and politics of post-war Newfoundland in 1948. Newfoundland had become a location of geographical importance to the war effort. At war’s end this British colony faced great uncertainty for the future. The vast financial support that Britain had


supplied was completely drying up. Britain needed to focus on rebuilding themselves after the war and could not maintain the financial burdens carried by Newfoundland. Essentially, Great Britain was desperate to rid itself of responsibility. Canada had long been interested in the colony because of its strategic postion on the Atlantic coast. Canada also wished to control the massive iron deposits in Labrador. Also of critical importance was the aviation industry, both military and civil, including the control and use of airfields for transatlantic flight (Gander, Goose Bay). The Canadian government was concerned about the strong presence and...
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