In 1948, the people in the British colony of Newfoundland faced a choice. They could become an independent country within the British Commonwealth. Or, they could vote to join Canada in Confederation. In this special series of episodes we travel to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to interview four prominent Newfoundlanders about their memories of the Confederation debate, and ask if they think Newfoundland made the right choice when it joined Canada. In Episode 1, Life in a British Colony, we explore life in Newfoundland in the 1930s and 1940s, the years leading up to the Confederation debate.
About the Stories Behind the History podcast:
Canada's History magazine senior editor Kate Jaimet interviews special guests for an in-depth look at the people and events that shaped our nation. Winner of the 2023 Canadian Ethnic Media Award for Podcast Feature.
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Theme music: Red River Jig by Alex Kusturok
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Guests: Former Newfoundland Premier Clyde Wells, artist Kathleen Knowling, writer Bernice Morgan, and former federal MP Richard Cashin.
Art: "Malcolm Rogers' house is towed by a 40hp motor boat from Fox Island to Flat Island during resettlement," Newfoundland, August 1961. Photographer: Bob Brooks. Library and Archives Canada, National Film Board Fonds. Copyright expired.
Sound credits:
Ode to Newfoundland - licensed under Creative Commons - wikimedia -
Rule Brittania (MP3 file) - public domain - Free Music Archive - archive.org/details/RuleBritannia/rule_britannia.mp3
Wearing of the Green (Volume V-10) - John McCormack, Licensed under Creative Commons from musopen.org - musopen.org/music/43921-john-mccormack-compilation/
Keep the Home Fires Burning - public domain - Library of Congress National Jukebox - www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-15093/
Wearing of the Green - public domain - Library of Congress National Jukebox - www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-121183/
"The Gloom of my Soul" by Harpo Marks, licensed from PremiumBeat.com