The Newfoundland Act was an
Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom that confirmed and gave effect to the Terms of Union agreed to between the then-separate
Dominions
The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire.
"Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, Dominion of New Zealand, New Zealand, Dominion of Newfoundland, Newfoundland, Un ...
of
Canada and
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 ...
on March 23, 1949. It was originally titled the
British North America Act 1949, but was renamed in Canada on the
patriation of the
Canadian Constitution from the
United Kingdom in 1982.
In exchange for Newfoundland becoming a province, the Canadian government took over the
Newfoundland Railway,
Newfoundland Airport (now Gander International Airport),
public broadcasting, telegraph services and other services that fell under federal control. The federal government assumed responsibility for Newfoundland's debt.
Newfoundland was also given statutory subsidies, a special subsidy of $1.1 million, the right to enter into tax rental agreements with the federal government and an additional transitional grant of $3.5 million, diminishing by 10 per cent per year for a total of 12 years. Also, as a safety net, it was agreed a
Royal Commission would review finances.
Previous Newfoundland Acts
Prior to the 1949 Act there were a handful of Acts with revisions to the Newfoundland's Constitution:
* Newfoundland Act 1699 - encourage and established trade (fisheries) links in the region; also called King William's Act
* Newfoundland Act 1842 - established an appointed upper
Legislative Council and elected lower
House of Assembly
* Newfoundland Act 1933 - suspended responsible government with the
General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador dissolved and established rule by
Newfoundland Commission
See also
*
Malaysia Act 1963
*
Hong Kong Act 1985
The Hong Kong Act 1985 (c. 15) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made provision for the ratification of the Sino-British Joint Declaration that was signed on 19 December 1984 in Beijing that agreed to end British sovereign ...
References
External links
Newfoundland Act text*
British North American Act, 1949 (Newfoundland Act) audio reading of act by
LibriVox (57m23s)
{{Canada topic, Constitution of
Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning Canada
Canada and the Commonwealth of Nations
Constitution of Canada
Political history of Newfoundland and Labrador
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1949
Legal history of Canada
1949 in Canada
1949 in international relations
Dominion of Newfoundland law
1949 in Newfoundland
March 1949 events in Canada
United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations