Joseph Roberts Smallwood (December 24, 1900 – December 17, 1991) was a Newfoundlander and Canadian politician. He was the main force who brought the
Dominion of Newfoundland
Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was established on 26 September 1907, and confirmed by the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and the Statute of Westmi ...
into
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...
in 1949, becoming the first
premier of Newfoundland, serving until 1972. As premier, he vigorously promoted economic development, championed the
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...
, and emphasized modernization of education and transportation. The results of his efforts to promote industrialization were mixed, with the most favourable results in
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...
, iron mining and paper mills.
Smallwood was charismatic and controversial. While many Canadians today remember Smallwood as the man who brought Newfoundland into Canada, the opinions held by Newfoundlanders and their diaspora remain sharply divided as to his legacy.
Early life
Smallwood was born at Mint Brook, near
Gambo
Gambo may refer to:
Places
* Gambo, Central African Republic, a town in the Central African Republic
* Gambo, Newfoundland and Labrador
Gambo is a town and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is in the nor ...
,
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, to Charles and Minnie May Smallwood. His grandfather, David Smallwood, was a well-known maker of boots in St. John's. Growing up in
St. John's, as a teenager he worked as an apprentice at a newspaper and moved to New York City in 1920. In New York, he worked for the
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
newspaper
''The Call''. Smallwood returned to Newfoundland in 1925, where he soon met and married Clara Oates (23 October 1901 – 14 April 1996). In 1925, he founded a newspaper in
Corner Brook
Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,333 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. ...
.
In 1928, he acted as
campaign manager
{{Political campaigning
A campaign manager, campaign chairman, or campaign director is a paid or volunteer individual whose role is to coordinate a political campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote ( ...
for Sir
Richard Squires
Sir Richard Anderson Squires KCMG (January 18, 1880 – March 26, 1940) was the Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1919 to 1923 and from 1928 to 1932.
As prime minister, Squires attempted to reform Newfoundland's fishing industry, but failed at ...
Prime Minister of Newfoundland He also ran unsuccessfully as a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate in
Bonavista in 1932.
During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, Smallwood worked for various newspapers and edited a two-volume collection titled ''The Book of Newfoundland''. He also hosted a radio program, ''
The Barrelman
''The Barrelman'' was a name adopted by Joseph Smallwood for his fifteen-minute radio program on the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland to promote pride in Newfoundland's history and culture. The show began as a column in the ''Daily News' ...
'', beginning in 1937, that promoted pride in Newfoundland's history and culture. He was very successful in this job with a voice for radio that was easily recognizable throughout all of Newfoundland.
He left the
Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland in 1943 to operate a pig farm at the Newfoundland Airport at
Gander.
National Convention and Confederation
As soon as prosperity returned in 1942, action began to end the
Commission of Government. Newfoundland, with a population of 313,000 (plus 5,200 in Labrador), seemed too small to be independent.
At this point, Smallwood was a well-known radio personality, writer and organizer; he was a nationalist who had long criticized British rule. In 1945, London announced that a National Convention would be elected in Newfoundland to advise on what constitutional choices should to be voted on by referendum. Union with the United States was a possibility, but London rejected that option and instead offered two options: a return to dominion status or continuation of the unpopular Commission. Canada issued an invitation to join on generous financial terms.
In 1946, Smallwood was elected as a delegate to the
Newfoundland National Convention, which was organized to make recommendations to London about the future of Newfoundland that would be placed before the people of the country in a constitutional referendum. Smallwood supported joining Canada, arguing that union with Canada would bring prosperity. His skills as a radio broadcaster served him well. He was able to use the proceedings of the Convention, which were broadcast over the radio, to publicise the benefits of union with Canada. He founded and led the
Confederate Association
The Confederate Association was a political party formed and led by Joey Smallwood and Gordon Bradley to advocate that the Dominion of Newfoundland join the Canadian Confederation. The party was formed on February 21, 1948 prior to the launch of t ...
that supported the Confederation option in the Convention during the
1948 Newfoundland referendums
The Newfoundland referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the political future of the Dominion of Newfoundland. Before the referendums, Newfoundland was in debt and went through several delegations to determine whether the co ...
.
At the convention Smallwood emerged as the leading proponent of confederation with Canada, insisting, "Today we are more disposed to feel that our very manhood, our very creation by God, entitles us to standards of life no lower than our brothers on the mainland." He succeeded in putting the Canada option on the ballot. His main opponents were
Peter Cashin and
Chesley Crosbie
Chesley Arthur "Ches" Crosbie (November 4, 1905 – December 26, 1962) was a Newfoundland businessman and politician.
Early life
Crosbie belonged to a prominent St. John's family involved in hotels, fish exporting, insurance, shipping and manufac ...
. Cashin, a former finance minister, led the
Responsible Government League
The Responsible Government League was a political movement in the Dominion of Newfoundland.
The Responsible Government League of Newfoundland, led by Peter Cashin, was formed in February 1947 by anti-Confederation delegates to the Newfoundland Na ...
, warning against cheap Canadian imports and the high Canadian income tax. Crosbie, a leader of the fishing industry, led the
Economic Union Party The Economic Union Party (EUP, formally the Party for Economic Union with the United States) was a political party formed in the Dominion of Newfoundland on 20 March 1948, during the first referendum campaign on the future of the country. The Brit ...
, seeking responsible government first, to be followed by closer ties with the United States, which could be a major source of capital.
Smallwood carried his cause in a hard-fought referendum and a runoff in June and July 1948 as the decision to join Canada (rather than restoration of independent dominion status) carried 77,869, against 71,464, or 52.3%. A strong rural vote in favour of Canada overwhelmed the pro-independence vote in the capital of
St. John's. Catholics (mostly of Irish descent) in the city desired independence to protect their parochial schools, leading to a Protestant backlash in rural areas. The promise of cash family allowances from Canada proved decisive.
Smallwood was a member of the 1947 Ottawa Delegation that negotiated the
Terms of Union
Term may refer to:
*Terminology, or term, a noun or compound word used in a specific context, in particular:
**Technical term, part of the specialized vocabulary of a particular field, specifically:
***Scientific terminology, terms used by scienti ...
with Canada. He created another newspaper, ''The Confederate'', to promote Confederation. The
1948 referendums
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
resulted in Confederation being approved, and in 1949, as leader of the
Liberal Party, Smallwood was elected
premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
of the new province.
Premiership
![BradleyKingSmallwood1948](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/BradleyKingSmallwood1948.jpg)
Smallwood ran Newfoundland virtually unchallenged for 23 years. He governed with large majorities for virtually his entire tenure. During his first six terms he never faced more than eight opposition MHAs.
He vigorously promoted economic development through the Economic Development Plan of 1951, championed the
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...
(paid for by Ottawa), and attracted favourable attention across Canada. He emphasised modernisation of education and transportation to attract outsiders, such as German industrialists, because the local economic elite would not invest in industrial development. Although he had had socialist leanings in his youth, he often sided with bankers and became hostile to the militant unions that sponsored numerous strikes. He relied heavily on the expertise of German industry in his repeated attempts to industrialise Newfoundland in the post-Confederation period. His efforts to promote industrialisation were a mixed bag, with the most favourable results in hydroelectricity, iron mining, and paper mills. Part of Smallwood’s industrialization legacy is the 1969 agreement locking Newfoundland into selling electricity from the power dam at Labrador’s
Churchill Falls to Quebec until the year 2041—at a fixed rate that is now roughly one-tenth of the market price.
Smallwood was willing to side with corporations in his drive to industrialise the province. He granted foreign companies concessions to encourage development and even intervened in a
labour dispute in 1959. The
International Woodworkers of America
International Woodworkers of America (IWA) was an industrial union of lumbermen, sawmill workers, timber transportation workers and others formed in 1937.
History
The IWA was formed when members of the Sawmill and Timber Workers’ Union divis ...
had struck to get higher wages and better working conditions in the logging camps. In a controversial move, Smallwood decertified and effectively made the union illegal, replacing it with a government-sponsored union.
During his long career as Premier, Smallwood was often accused of being autocratic and self-aggrandising. He brought libel suits against ''
The Telegram
''The Telegram'' is a daily newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays (as ''The Weekend Telegram'') in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
History
''The Evening Telegram'' was first published on April 3, 1879 by William James Herde ...
'' and he would threaten to pull government advertising over stories. He kept a tight rein on his ministers, regarding them as extensions of his own authority rather than as colleagues. Additionally, the House of Assembly did not have a
question period
Question Period (french: période des questions), known officially as Oral Questions (french: questions orales) occurs each sitting day in the House of Commons of Canada, in which members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (i ...
, unlike most other provincial legislatures.
Smallwood announced his retirement in 1969, only to change his mind and run for the leadership against
John Crosbie
John Carnell Crosbie, (January 30, 1931 – January 10, 2020) was a Canadian provincial and federal politician who served as the 12th lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Prior to being lieutenant governor, he served as a pr ...
.
In the ensuing contest, Smallwood sent Cabinet ministers to delegate selection meetings with notebooks, detailing who voted for which slate of delegates. They brought Crosbie delegates to his residence, forcing them to sign affidavits supporting Smallwood's leadership. The affidavits would later be published in local newspapers.
By Newfoundland's seventh general election, in
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
, Smallwood's government had become tired and complacent. The election resulted in a
hung parliament, with Smallwood's Liberals winning 20 seats to the
Progressive Conservatives' 21. The
Labrador Party The Labrador Party (or New Labrador Party) was the name of two political parties in Newfoundland advocating the interests of the region of Labrador, Canada. New Labrador Party (1969–1975)
The party was founded in 1969, by Tom Burgess, a disaffe ...
's lone MHA,
Tom Burgess, threw his support to Smallwood, resulting in a three-month deadlock.
However, under the threat of a revolt in his own caucus, Smallwood was forced to resign in January 1972 in favour of the PCs'
Frank Moores
Frank Duff Moores (February 18, 1933 – July 10, 2005) served as the second premier of Newfoundland. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservatives from 1972 until his retirement in 1979. Moores was also a successful businessman in bo ...
. Smallwood was voted out as Liberal leader soon afterward. In 1975, he took most of his followers into the
Newfoundland Reform Liberal Party
The Newfoundland Reform Liberal Party was a leader-centred political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada from 1975 to 1979. It backed the return to power of Joey Smallwood after the former premier failed to regain the leadership of the Liber ...
, which elected four candidates in
that year's election. He retired for good at the end of the term.
Life after politics
In his retirement Smallwood resumed writing; publishing several books including an autobiography titled ''I Chose Canada''. Later in his life he began an ambitious project compiling a comprehensive ''
Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador
''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador'' is an Encyclopedia commissioned by Joey Smallwood to capture the people, places, events and history of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Smallwood's view on the purpose of the encyclopedia was ...
''. The five volume set was completed by a charitable foundation after Smallwood's death. Smallwood's publishing firm, Newfoundland Book Publishers (1967) Ltd., published Volumes 1 and 2; the Smallwood Heritage Foundation completed and published Volumes 3, 4, and 5.
In 1986, he was made a
Companion of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
, after hesitating because he felt that he should be more honoured for bringing Newfoundland and Labrador into Canada and he would have liked to have had The Right Honourable added to his name as well as a knighthood.
In 1989, a new
Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic Inc. (french: Marine Atlantique) is an independent Canadian federal Crown corporation which is mandated to operate ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.
Marine Atlantic's corporate hea ...
ferry, , was placed in service; she was paid-off in 2011.
[
]
Death
On December 17, 1991, a week before his 91st birthday, Smallwood died. He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. John's, Newfoundland. His wife Clara, who died in 1996, is buried beside him.
Notable quotes
"I don't need you. I've been elected. But you need me. I'm sitting on top of the public chest, and not one red cent will come out of it for
Ferryland unless
Greg Power
Gregory J. Power (March 22, 1909 – May 15, 1997) was a politician, office holder, farmer, poet and athlete, who was born in Dunville, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. Power represented Placentia and St. Mary's from 1951 to 1956 and Placentia ...
is elected
o Ottawa Unless you vote for my man, you'll be out in the cold for the next five years ... Those settlements which vote against Greg Power will get nothing – absolutely nothing."
In popular culture
Smallwood was featured in two
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
documentaries: In 1970, he was the subject of
Julian Biggs Julian Biggs (1920 in Port Perry, Ontario – 1972 in Montreal) was a director, producer and administrator with the National Film Board of Canada for 20 years responsible for two Academy Award nominees, ''Herring Hunt'' (1953, as director) and '' Pa ...
's documentary film ''
A Little Fellow from Gambo'', for which he unusually received a
Canadian Film Award for
Best Actor in a Non-Feature at the
22nd Canadian Film Awards
The 22nd Canadian Film Awards were held on October 3, 1970 to honour achievements in Canadian film.Maria Topalovich, ''And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards''. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. . pp. 89-91. The ceremo ...
.
In 1974, he was featured alongside Newfoundland media mogul
Geoff Stirling and director
Michael Rubbo
Michael Dattilo Rubbo (born 31 December 1938) is an Australian documentarian/filmmaker.
Early life
Rubbo was born in Melbourne, the son of Australian microbiologist Sydney Dattilo Rubbo, and the grandson of the painter Antonio Dattilo Rubbo. ...
in Rubbo's ''
Waiting for Fidel
''Waiting for Fidel'' is a Canadian documentary by Michael Rubbo and starring director Rubbo, former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Joey Smallwood and Newfoundland media mogul Geoff Stirling. It depicts Rubbo, Smallwood, and Stirling's unsuc ...
''.
In 1998,
Wayne Johnston's novel ''
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams
''The Colony of Unrequited Dreams'' is a novel by Wayne Johnston, published on September 30, 1998 by Knopf Canada. Johnston's breakthrough work, the novel was a Canadian bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 1998 Giller Prize and the 1998 Gov ...
'' presented a fictionalized portrayal of Smallwood.
CJON-DT, Geoff Stirling's television station, conducted several interviews with Smallwood, particularly during the years after he left politics; many of these were extended dialogues with Stirling on various esoteric topics. Many of Smallwood's interviews, as well as numerous solo films and speeches he made, are rebroadcast during the ''Captain Atlantis'' block of freeform telecasts that CJON carries very early on Saturday mornings.
References
Further reading
*Gwyn, Richard. ''Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary'' (1968)
* Hiller, James K. "Smallwood, Joseph Roberts (1900–1991)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', online edition
*Horwood, Harold. ''Joey'' (1989)
* Smallwood, Joseph R. ''I Chose Canada: The Memoirs of the Honourable Joseph R. "Joey" Smallwood'' (1973)
External links
Biography ''Canadian Encyclopedia''; accessed January 31, 2018.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smallwood, Joey
Premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador
Fathers of Confederation
Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs
Newfoundland Reform Liberal Party MHAs
Canadian radio personalities
Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Members of the United Church of Canada
Newfoundland National Convention members
Companions of the Order of Canada
1900 births
1991 deaths
Burials in Newfoundland and Labrador
Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Writers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian people of British descent
Dominion of Newfoundland people
People from Gambo, Newfoundland and Labrador
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
Canadian political party founders
20th-century Canadian journalists
Canadian Screen Award winners
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