Oct 21, 2004 http://www.heritage.nf.ca What's New on the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site en-us Copyright Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved. Tue, 10 Oct 2004 en-us December 17, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/gov_structure.html Newfoundland's system of representative government was bicameral in nature, which means it consisted of two legislative chambers – an appointed Board of Council (also known as Legislative Council) and an elected House of Assembly. Both served under a governor, who was appointed by the British government to represent the crown in Newfoundland. December 17, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/districts_vote.html Citizens on the island of Newfoundland won the right to vote and run for political office in 1832, when Britain conceded to a local reform movement and granted the colony representative government. A general election took place in November of that year, allowing eligible residents to cast their ballots for the first time in the colony's history. The right to vote gave citizens greater say in the setting of public policy and more political power that ever before. December 17, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/rel_pol.html Religion played an influential role in Newfoundland politics during the period of representative government. The colony's first general election took place in 1832, which was the same year local Roman Catholics obtained full civil and political rights under the British Catholic Relief Act. A struggle for political power quickly emerged between upper-class English Anglicans, who traditionally governed the colony, and Irish Roman Catholics, who comprised slightly more than half of the island's population following a wave of immigration during the late-18th and early-19th centuries. December 17, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/sectarianism.html The reform, or Liberal, movement gained popularity during the era of representative government (1832-1855) by catering to segments of Newfoundland society that felt marginalized by the colony's ruling classes. Reformers portrayed themselves as defending the welfare of fishers, local professional and business interests, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Irish, and Scots against both the English Anglican elite, who traditionally governed the colony, and the wealthy fish merchants with British connections, who directed Newfoundland's single major industry. By appealing to various discontented groups, reformers secured a sizeable portion of the public vote and often dominated the elected House of Assembly. December 17, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/resp_gov_shift.html The introduction of responsible government became a central issue in Newfoundland politics after the Amalgamated Assembly dissolved in 1848. By February of that year, the British government had granted responsible government to Nova Scotia and some Newfoundland residents argued it was time for such a system of government to come into effect on the island. September 14, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/social_changes_1832.html Newfoundland and Labrador society became increasingly complex during the reform era. Independent newspapers began circulating and allowed the public to scrutinize and discuss government policy with greater ease and freedom than ever before. Schools opened at some of the island's larger centres, while medical services became more widespread. Philanthropic and political societies grew in number and began to influence the government's decision-making process. September 14, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/economic_changes_1832.html The reform era was a time of tremendous economic hardship for Newfoundland and Labrador. The Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815 and plunged the colony into an economic depression that lasted for years. Fish prices dropped, competition increased, merchant firms struggled to stay solvent, and fish workers watched their earnings disappear. The government tried to create work by developing road building and other programs, but poverty remained widespread until the 1820s. September 14, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/legal_system_1832.html The Newfoundland and Labrador legal system underwent dramatic changes during the reform era. It was formally constituted under British law and became more structured and firmly established than ever before. New legislation in 1824 replaced surrogate courts with circuit courts, made it mandatory for judges to possess proper legal training, created a court of civil jurisdiction in Labrador, and expanded the Supreme Court's jurisdiction into fishery and other maritime matters. September 14, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/reform_movement.html The goal of the reform movement was to establish representative government in Newfoundland and Labrador. It gained momentum during the early-19th century, which was a time of tremendous social, economic, and political change in the colony. Although the permanent population was expanding at a faster rate than ever before, no form of elected government existed to represent the people. September 14, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/civil_governors.html Civil governors represented the authority of the crown in Newfoundland and Labrador and upheld the colony's Constitution. Between 1825 and 1855, the British government appointed five governors to office: Sir Thomas Cochrane (1825-1834), Sir Henry Prescott (1834-1841), Sir John Harvey (1841-1846), Sir John LeMarchant (1847-1852), and Ker Hamilton (1852-1855). August 20, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/naval_gov.html Naval governors ran Newfoundland and Labrador's political, legal, and military affairs from 1729 through 1824. They were appointed by the British government to represent the crown and enforce its authority in the colony. Most governors lived on the island for only part of the year – usually from July until November – when migratory fishers were active in inshore and offshore waters. August 20, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/social_changes_1815.html Newfoundland and Labrador experienced numerous social changes during the period of naval government. Its resident population expanded and became more diverse; schools, theatres, and a public hospital opened; newspapers began to circulate; a postal service was established; churches became more widespread; and government policy helped to end religious persecution of Roman Catholics. August 20, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/economic_changes_1815.html The cod fishery continued to dominate the Newfoundland and Labrador economy during the period of naval government. However, the industry changed dramatically between 1729 and 1815 from a European-controlled industry to one that was domestically owned and operated. August 20, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/naval_gov_decline.html Newfoundland and Labrador experienced tremendous social and economic changes during the late-18th and early-19th centuries. These changes helped to bring about political reform and end the period of naval government. Some residents believed the system of naval rule had lost its relevance and advocated for representative government, which would allow eligible citizens to vote for political candidates. July 17, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/french.html French migrations to Newfoundland and Labrador began in the early 16th century and lasted for approximately 400 years. Most migrants were fishers who visited the colony on a seasonal basis to catch cod in inshore and offshore waters. They predominantly came from port towns in Brittany and Normandy, located on France's northwest coast, where merchants organized annual voyages to engage in the transatlantic fishery. July 17, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/french_settlement.html Newfoundland and Labrador's cod fishery was the major pull factor attracting French settlers to the colony from the 16th through 19th centuries. Each year, thousands of workers from coastal France sailed across the Atlantic to participate in the migratory cod fishery and, to a lesser degree, in whale hunts in the Strait of Belle Isle. The French were among the earliest Europeans to migrate to Newfoundland and Labrador, with the first documented fishing trip taking place in 1504. July 17, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/french_fishery.html France was one of the earliest European nations to engage in the Newfoundland and Labrador migratory fishery and dominated the industry throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Its first documented fishing vessel crossed the Atlantic in 1504 and many more followed suit over the next 400 years. France supported its migratory fishery for two major reasons: it was of tremendous economic value and provided a reserve of experienced sailors for the French Navy, which helped to maintain the country's status as one of the world's great maritime powers. May 12, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/irish_migration.html Irish migrations to Newfoundland and Labrador began in the late-17th century and reached their peak during the first two decades of the 19th century, when up to 35,000 Irish arrived on the island. The majority of migrants initially travelled to the colony on a seasonal or temporary basis to participate in the transatlantic cod fishery. However, as the industry shifted from a seasonal to a resident operation during the late-18th and early-19th centuries, most Irish migrants settled permanently in Newfoundland and Labrador. May 12, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/irish_settlement.html The largest concentrations of Irish settlement occurred on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most emigrants settled in St. John's, Placentia, and along the stretch of coastline linking the two communities together. These areas lay along established shipping lanes connecting Newfoundland with Irish ports, were near productive fishing grounds, and close to major centres of mercantile and commercial activities. May 12, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/irish_fishery.html The Irish played an important role in both the migratory and resident fisheries at Newfoundland and Labrador. By the late-17th century, merchants in southeast Ireland were regularly exporting pork, beef, butter, and other provisions overseas to help supply English workers engaged in the transatlantic fishery. Eventually, Irish labourers also migrated to the colony each spring to take advantage of employment opportunities there. Most worked as servants for planters or merchants and stayed on the island for one or two summers before returning home in the fall. Although the migratory fishery remained a largely English-directed industry throughout the 18th century, it increasingly relied on Irish labour to catch and cure fish. May 1, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/scottish.html The major Scottish migrations to Newfoundland and Labrador occurred in the 19th century and involved two unrelated phases. The first brought an influx of Scottish Lowlanders to the Avalon Peninsula. These migrants were Presbyterian, arrived individually or in small family groups, spoke English, and were relatively well-educated and wealthy. The migration of Highland Scots to southwestern Newfoundland began in 1841 and ended in the 1860s. Unlike their Lowland counterparts, these men and women were predominately Roman Catholic, spoke Gaelic, and were farmers by trade. May 1, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/scottish_settlement.html Scottish Settlement Patterns Mercantile and agricultural activities influenced the settlement patterns of Scottish immigrants to Newfoundland and Labrador during the 19th century. An influx of Lowland Scots arrived on the island's east coast in the early 1800s to take advantage of new opportunities in trade and commerce created by the colony's growing resident fishery. In contrast, the Highland Scots were farmers by trade and settled on agricultural land in the Codroy Valley and St. George's Bay. May 1, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/scottish_occupations.html Scottish immigrants to Newfoundland and Labrador worked predominantly in the fields of commerce and agriculture during the 19th century. Many Lowlanders settled on the Avalon Peninsula, where the colony's centres of trade were located. A separate group of Scots migrated to the island's southwest coast between 1840 and 1860. These were mostly agricultural families in search of farmland. Many families cleared land on the banks of the Grand and Little Codroy Rivers, where they grew vegetables, raised livestock, and cultivated hay and pastureland. May 1, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/scottish_fishery.html Scots participated in Newfoundland and Labrador's resident fishery during the 19th century, but primarily as merchants instead of as fishers. This was in contrast to English and Irish settlers, who worked in far greater numbers as fishers than they did as merchants. Although Scottish merchant firms were outnumbered by English firms, they were among the wealthiest and most successful on the island, and frequently exported more fish overseas than their competitors. March 18, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/moratorium.html Newfoundland and Labrador's historic cod fisheries attracted local and international fishing fleets for almost five centuries before the Canadian government shut the industry down indefinitely in July 1992. By then, once-plentiful fish stocks had dwindled to near extinction and officials feared they would disappear entirely if the fisheries remained open. March 18, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/beo_land_use.html The Beothuk were a self-sufficient people who exploited marine and terrestrial resources on and around the island of Newfoundland for food, clothing, and shelter. Before the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, the Beothuk inhabited many parts of the island, where they employed a seasonal round of activities to satisfy their needs. March 18, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/innu_land_use.html Innu people and their ancestors lived in the Quebec-Labrador peninsula for thousands of years before Europeans arrived at North America in the late 15th century. Like other pre-contact Aboriginal groups, the Innu's forebears were a self-sustaining people who had extensive knowledge of their natural environment and exploited a wide range of resources to survive. March 18, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/inuit_land_use.html The Inuit and their ancestors made extensive use of Labrador's natural resources before contact with Europeans in the 15th century. Much of their culture was oriented toward the sea and its resources. Marine mammals, fish, and seabirds were important food sources and provided oil for fuel, as well as skin, bones, teeth, and other materials for the fabrication of clothing, shelter, weapons, tools, and other utensils. Caribou and other land mammals were also key components of Inuit survival, as were trees, stones, edible plants and other terrestrial resources. March 18, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/mikmaq_land_use.html Pre-contact Mi'kmaq were a hunting-gathering people who were well-adapted to the natural world. They knew how to hunt, fish, and harvest their own food, how to build their own shelters, make their own clothes, and manufacture a wide variety of tools, weapons, and other implements. Extensive knowledge of the natural world was essential to Mi'kmaq survival. February 20, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/oil_economy.html Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore oil industry has made significant contributions to the provincial economy in recent decades. It creates jobs, adds to provincial revenues, helps to curb outmigration, stimulates consumer spending, and indirectly benefits other sectors of the economy, including real estate, education and research, manufacturing, and retail. February 9, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/household_economy.html The origin of what is today referred to as traditional society in Newfoundland and Labrador may be traced to a way of life that developed around the inshore fishery in the late19th century outport. Although this way of life focused on the family as the basic unit of consumption and of biological and social reproduction, the household was the locus of production and welfare. February 9, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/napolean_wars_economy.html The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) were a time of tremendous social upheaval in Europe, but brought much economic prosperity to Newfoundland and Labrador. The withdrawal of warring nations from the saltfish trade gave the colony an almost complete monopoly over the lucrative industry, while rising fish prices and high catch rates saw profits soar. February 9, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/wwi_economy.html The First World War brought short-term prosperity to Newfoundland and Labrador, but damaged its economy in the long run by increasing the public debt. As warring nations scaled back their involvement with the cod fisheries, market conditions and profits improved in the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery. Forestry and mining industries also benefited from wartime demand for lumber and iron ore exports. January 8, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/aboriginal_confed.html When Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada in 1949, the provincial and federal governments made no special provisions for the new province's Aboriginal groups. The Terms of Union, which determined how Newfoundland and Labrador would operate as a province, did not mention Aboriginal people nor did it clarify their status within the country. January 8, 2009 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/aboriginal_self_gov.html Many Aboriginal people in the province and the country see self-government as a way to preserve their culture and attain greater control over their land, resources, and administration of laws and practices that affect their lives. Aboriginal groups argue they have an inherent right to self-government because they were the first people to govern Canada and did not willingly surrender their autonomy to European settlers. December 17, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/fishers_lifestyle.html European fishers had been working off Newfoundland and Labrador's coasts for about 100 years by the turn of the 17th century. Most arrived by May or June to exploit abundant cod stocks before returning overseas in the late summer or early fall. Known as the transatlantic migratory fishery, the enterprise prospered until the early 19th century when it gave way to a resident industry. December 17, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/20th_fishery.html The industrialization of Newfoundland and Labrador's fisheries during the latter half of the 20th century dramatically changed the way fishing people in the province worked and lived. As the centuries-old saltfishery gave way to a fresh-frozen fishery in the decades following World War Two, the scale and nature of the industry changed. December 1, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/colonial_status.html Although the British Government had attempted to use Palliser's Act (1775) to limit residence in Newfoundland, just 50 years later in 1825 it conferred colonial status within the British Empire upon Newfoundland due to the economic, political, social, and demographic changes resulting from the French and Napoleonic Wars. December 1, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/women_economy.html Women's economic roles in all areas of the fishing industry were extremely important. Their work in the fishery, as well as in agriculture and domestic labour, combined to make women the backbone of the household economic unit. November 7, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/origins_migratory_fishery.html In the 16th century, abundant cod stocks off Newfoundland and Labrador's coasts earned the attention of several European nations. Within a decade of John Cabot's 1497 voyage, significant numbers of French and Portuguese fishing crews crossed the Atlantic each spring to harvest the lucrative resource, with English and Spanish fleets following shortly thereafter. November 7, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/settlement_patterns.html Thousands of European fishers annually visited Newfoundland and Labrador from the 16th through the 18th centuries to participate in the transatlantic migratory cod fishery. Although the vast majority of workers returned home during the fall, some chose to remain on the island year round to safeguard fishing gear and for a variety of other reasons. Most settled in coastal areas that were relatively sheltered, near good fishing grounds, and allowed for easy access to a supply of wood. November 7, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/aboriginal_relations.html The nature of Newfoundland and Labrador's economy limited direct interaction between Aboriginal groups and Europeans for much of the 17th and 18th centuries. During this period, Newfoundland and Labrador served mainly as a seasonal fishing station for European crews engaged in the transatlantic migratory fishery. Because European governments had almost no interest in establishing permanent settlements on the island or in Labrador, they did not negotiate any land treaties with Aboriginal groups, as was common elsewhere in North America. September 30, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/informal_economy.html In 19th-century Newfoundland and Labrador, many households combined formal and informal economic activities to make a living year-round. Although most families participated in the commercial cod and seal fisheries, these industries were not consistently profitable and frequently subject to outside forces over which the Newfoundland and Labrador people had no control. To compensate for this, families often found it necessary to engage in seasonal subsistence activities. September 30, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/environment_economy.html Newfoundland and Labrador's physical environment greatly influenced the ways settlers made a living during the 19th century. The richness of marine resources encouraged a pattern of coastal settlement and made the cod and seal fisheries central to local economies. In contrast, the relative scarcity of good soils and other terrestrial resources made large-scale farming operations impractical and discouraged year-round habitation of interior spaces. August 19, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/lab8/labvol8_contents.html Volume VIII of documents and arguments presented in 1927 by the Dominion of Canada on the one hand and the Colony of Newfoundland on the other hand to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London to resolve a dispute over the boundary of Labrador. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/mikmaq_claims.html In 1984, and after years of negotiations, the Conne River Mi'kmaq became Newfoundland and Labrador's first Aboriginal people to register under the federal Indian Act, giving them access to the full range of programs and services available under the Act. Conne River (also known as Miawpukek) became a status Indian Reserve three years later, with an on-reserve population of about 800 and an off-reserve population of about 1,700. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/mikmaq_impacts.html The Mi'kmaq of Newfoundland and Labrador inhabit the island portion of the province. They historically harvested resources in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and most surrounding lands, which placed them into direct and frequent contact with early European fishers and settlers. Although not all contact between the Mi'kmaq and Europeans was negative, it dramatically altered Mi'kmaq society and cultural traditions. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/innu_claims.html The Innu people of Labrador formally organized under the Naskapi Montagnais Innu Association (NMIA) in 1976 to better protect their rights, lands, and way of life against industrialization and other outside forces. The NMIA changed its name to the Innu Nation in 1990 and today functions as the governing body of the Labrador Innu. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/innu_impacts.html Colonialism and Confederation brought dramatic and far-reaching changes to Innu culture, society, and lands. The arrival of Christian missionaries in Labrador during the 1800s helped marginalize the Innu people's religious beliefs, while European traders encouraged Innu men to trap furs fulltime, making them dependent on foreign trading posts for food and supplies. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/inuit_claims.html The Inuit people of Labrador won the right to self-government in 2004 after settling a land claim agreement with the Newfoundland and Labrador government. The Settlement Area consists of 72,520 square kilometers of land in northern Labrador, which includes the five major Inuit communities of Nain, Hopedale, Rigolet, Makkovik, and Postville. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/inuit_impacts.html Since European fishing crews began making annual trips to Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1500s, non-Aboriginal activities have altered Inuit culture and society. Early European visitors and settlers introduced metal tools and other manufactured goods to the Inuit, Moravian missionaries converted many Inuit to Christianity, and North America's predominately English-speaking society forced the Inuktitut language into decline during the 20th century. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/metis_claims.html The Labrador Métis Association formed in 1985 to represent people of mixed Aboriginal (mostly Inuit) and European ancestry living in central and southeastern Labrador. The group changed its name to the Labrador Métis Nation (LMN) in 1998, two years after the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples reported that Labrador Métis are a distinct people who display characteristics fundamental to nationhood. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/metis_impacts.html Rather than identifying with either their Inuit or English ancestors, the Métis people developed a distinct culture and society that blended qualities from both their Aboriginal and European heritages. Seasonal migration was central to their way of life and allowed them to harvest furs in the winter, seals in the spring, and catch fish in the summer. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/19th_migration.html Newfoundland and Labrador experienced high rates of immigration during the first half of the 19th century and high rates of emigration during the latter decades of the century. The movement of people into and out of the country was frequently in response to shifting economic conditions and employment opportunities. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/internal_migration.html During the 19th century, migrants often moved to new areas to either exploit natural resources not available near their homes or take advantage of new job opportunities. While some men and women traveled to other countries, internal migration became a prominent feature of Newfoundland and Labrador society, as families moved from one part of the country to another. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/pfactors.html Newfoundland and Labrador's permanent population rapidly expanded during the first half of the 19th century, largely due to an influx of English, Irish, and Scottish immigrants. Until then, the colony primarily served as a seasonal fishing station for European countries and most of its population remained on a temporary basis only. July 25, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/other_egroups.html Although 19th-century Newfoundland and Labrador was not a very multicultural place, small numbers of immigrants did arrive from areas outside of the British Isles. Most prominent among these were the Chinese, Lebanese, and Jewish immigrants who arrived during the latter decades of the 1800s. July 14, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/19th_comm.html The 19th century introduced new and increasingly efficient forms of transportation and communication to Newfoundland and Labrador. Roads and railways linked many isolated communities by providing fast and convenient modes of land-based transportation, while government-subsidized steamships transported mail, freight, and passengers to remote coastal settlements and urban centres. July 14, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/post_1949_comm.html Advances in communication and transportation technology during the second half of the 20th century significantly altered the way Newfoundland and Labrador people interacted with each other and the rest of the world. Roads and highways replaced the sea and railway as the dominant form of transportation, while air travel allowed people to reach faraway places with greater speed than ever before. June 15, 2008 http://www.teachaboutwomen.ca A Partnered Project of the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site which provides information on the women's movement in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1970 to 1989. June 15, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/suffrage.html Women in Newfoundland and Labrador won the right to vote and run for public office in April 1925 after decades of lobbying government officials and promoting their cause on the public stage. As voting members of society, women became better-equipped to influence public policy and advance their concerns, which often included domestic violence, maternal health, child welfare, and public education. June 2, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/beo_extinction.html Newfoundland fur trappers captured three Beothuk women at Badger Bay in April 1823 – a mother, Doodebewshet, and her two daughters, Easter Eve (her Beothuk name is unknown) and Shanawdithit. The women were in a starving condition when the furriers found them. Although Shanawdithit seemed otherwise in good health, her mother and sister were sick with tuberculosis and died shortly after their captors brought them to Exploits Island, reducing the Beothuk population to about 11. May 20, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/depopulation.html Out-migration has become a fact of life in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. For almost every year since Confederation, the number of people leaving rural communities has far exceeded the number of those moving in. Most migrants are young adults and families with young children who move to urban centres in search of jobs or for better access to education, health care and other services. May 20, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/depop_impacts.html Between 1991 and 2001, rural settlements experienced a net loss of almost 48,000 people, representing an 18 per cent drop in population. Areas most dependent on the fishery experienced the greatest losses, including the Northern Peninsula, some parts of the Avalon Peninsula, and the island's northeast and southern coasts. May 20, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/moratorium_impacts.html On 2 July 1992, the Canadian government imposed a moratorium on the Northern cod fishery along the country's east coast. Decades of over-fishing had severely depleted cod stocks and government officials hoped the moratorium would allow the species to rebuild. The closure ended almost 500 years of fishing activity in Newfoundland and Labrador, where it put about 30,000 people out of work. May 20, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/arts/arts_economy.html The arts (or cultural) industry in Newfoundland and Labrador provides the province's people with a heightened quality of life while at the same time contributing to the local economy. It creates jobs for writers, filmmakers, painters, and other artists, as well as for stage hands, gallery workers, instrument makers, and other people involved in the production, distribution, and marketing of creative works. May 20, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/collapse_impacts.html The replacement of responsible government with the non-elected Commission of Government in 1934 had far-reaching consequences for Newfoundland and Labrador society, economy, and politics. The Commission remained in power for 15 years, during which time the Second World War brought much economic prosperity to the country and helped integrate it into North American society. February 28, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/health.html Medicine in Newfoundland and Labrador has steadily evolved throughout the centuries, often as a result of political and social change. The arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, for example, led to dramatic changes in the health and, later, health-care practices of aboriginal peoples. February 28, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/19c_health.html Few health-care services existed in Newfoundland and Labrador at the start of the 19th century. Resident doctors were rare, especially outside St. John's, and the colony's only hospitals belonged to the British military. Physicians who did service outport communities had to travel long distances by snowshoe, horseback, or boat to examine patients who often could not afford to pay for treatment. February 28, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/grenfellmission.html The Grenfell Mission provided some of the earliest permanent medical services in Labrador and northern Newfoundland. Before the mission opened its first hospital at Battle Harbour in 1893, almost no health-care resources existed in the area – hospitals were nonexistent, no formally trained nurses were on hand, and no resident doctor practiced there. February 12, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/bankcrash.html On 10 December 1894, two of Newfoundland and Labrador's three banks closed their doors and never opened them again. The impacts were immediate and widespread – businesses collapsed, workers became suddenly unemployed, families lost their savings, and the country, which used the bank notes as its main source of currency, was left with no reliable circulating medium. February 12, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/bankcrashimpacts.html Immediately after the Commercial and Union Banks ceased operations on 10 December 1894, Newfoundland and Labrador entered a brief period of economic, social, and political chaos. Businesses closed, the fish trade halted, and unemployment increased dramatically. January 30, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/20c_nl.html Exploration in Newfoundland and Labrador occurred on a smaller scale during the first half of the 1900s than in previous centuries. Adventurers and geologists from North America and Europe arrived at Labrador to study its vast and largely uncharted interior, while the island of Newfoundland served as a taking off point for some of the world's first transatlantic flights. January 30, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/bobbartlett.html During the more than 50 years of his seafaring life, Captain Robert (Bob) Abram Bartlett skippered some of the most famous, dangerous, and controversial exploratory expeditions to the Arctic. January 30, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/northpole.html Between 1898 and 1909, Newfoundland and Labrador ice captain Bob Bartlett and American explorer Robert Peary made three separate attempts to reach the North Pole. Although the expeditions were of tremendous historic importance and earned both men prestigious awards, they also sparked considerable controversy. January 30, 2008 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/karluk.html In the summer of 1913, the wooden-hulled Karluk departed Canada for the western Arctic. On board were 10 scientists, 13 crewmembers, four Inuit hunters, one seamstress, her two children, and one passenger. Of these, 11 never returned and most were not heard from again until September 1914. November 16, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/soc_changes.html One of the Commission of Government's major goals while in office was to improve social services in Newfoundland and Labrador. It expanded health-care services, improved the educational system, created a rural police force, and distributed nutritional supplements to combat malnutrition and its associated diseases. November 16, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/agriculture_comm.html The Commission of Government hoped agricultural development would provide an alternative source of employment and reduce the public's dependence on the dole. It offered cash bonuses for land clearing and cultivation, established a Demonstration Farm and Agricultural School to train future farmers, distributed livestock to promote animal husbandry, and created several new farming communities under its land settlement and small-holding schemes. November 16, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/education_comm.html Although the Commission of Government was able to make significant changes in the field of education, it encountered numerous obstacles. The country's poor financial situation, compounded by a worldwide depression, made it difficult to build new schools, upgrade existing ones, and implement other changes. November 16, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/health_care.html One of the Commission of Government's chief ambitions upon taking office was to improve health care in Newfoundland and Labrador. During its 15-year tenure, it established a string of cottage hospitals and nursing stations across the country, increased bed capacities at existing hospitals, operated a medical ship to visit remote communities, and tried to improve the nation’s overall health through dietary reform. November 16, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/health_care_org.html Groups like the International Grenfell Association and Newfoundland Outport Nursing and Industrial Association (NONIA) significantly improved conditions in rural parts of the country, while the Child Welfare Association focused its energies on aiding the nation's young. November 16, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/rangers.html The Commission of Government created the Newfoundland Ranger Force in the winter of 1935 to provide government services in isolated and northern parts of the country. During the 15 years of its existence, the force was an important link between the government and outport residents, who had no elected officials to represent their needs while the Commission was in power. November 16, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/cfimpacts.html The Upper Churchill Falls hydroelectric project remains one of the most notorious ventures in Newfoundland and Labrador’s resource-development history. It resulted in devastating and irreparable social losses, reaped poor economic benefits for the province’s people, and dramatically altered the environment surrounding the falls. October 19, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/landbased.html In an attempt to diversify Newfoundland and Labrador's economy into areas other than the cod fishery, government officials promoted various land-based industries during the first half of the 20th century. Most successful among these were the forestry and mining sectors, although agriculture also grew in importance. October 19, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/transportation_impacts.html Advances in transportation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries dramatically affected the development of the forestry and mining industries in Newfoundland and Labrador. October 19, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/popdistribution.html Most Newfoundland and Labrador residents lived near the coast at the turn of the 20th century and depended on the sea for their livelihoods. Construction of the railway opened up the island's interior for the first time and allowed government and industry to develop the region's mineral and forest resources. October 19, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/soc_econ_impacts.html The growth of land-based industries during the first half of the 20th century helped diversify Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy into sectors other than the fishery. October 19, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/womens_roles.html The growth of land-based industries during the first half of the 20th century helped alter the traditional role of some women in Newfoundland and Labrador society. October 10, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/loggers.html Logging was difficult and often dangerous work during the first half of the 20th century, yet workers received some of the lowest wages in Newfoundland and Labrador. October 10, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/mechanization.html Advances in technology during the second half of the twentieth century dramatically altered commercial logging in Newfoundland and Labrador. October 10, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/mech_impacts.html The gradual mechanization of Newfoundland and Labrador's logging industry during the second half of the twentieth century profoundly changed the way loggers worked and interacted with forest ecosystems. October 10, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/aboriginals_gw.html Although people of aboriginal ancestry from Newfoundland and Labrador fought and sometimes died during the First World War, their histories remain largely unknown. October 10, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/women_front.html While it was mostly men who fought on the front lines during the First World War, some Newfoundland and Labrador women also worked close to European battlefields as nurses. October 10, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/women_home.html Women in Newfoundland and Labrador played an active role on the home front during the First World War. They made and shipped clothes, medical supplies and other goods to troops overseas, raised funds to support the war effort, and visited relatives of soldiers fighting overseas. September 18, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/19th_cod.html The salt-cod fishery was a mainstay of Newfoundland and Labrador's economy throughout the nineteenth century. It consisted of three branches: an inshore fishery off the island's coast, a Labrador fishery, and an offshore bank fishery. September 18, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/truck_system.html Newfoundland and Labrador's outport economy depended not on cash, but on merchant credit for much of the nineteenth century. September 18, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/fish_trade.html Throughout the nineteenth century, Newfoundland and Labrador's economy centred on its ability to export goods to foreign buyers. More than anything else, it depended on the sale of locally produced salt cod to southern Europe, Brazil, and the West Indies. September 18, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/pc_fisheries.html Advances in harvesting and processing technology during the second half of the twentieth century resulted in dramatic and ultimately devastating changes to the Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries. September 18, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/fish_tech.html As fishing technology became more complex and efficient during the second half of the twentieth century, it not only changed Newfoundland and Labrador's fishing industry but also significantly altered the lifestyles of its fishing people. September 18, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/19c_sealer.html The commercial spring seal hunt was one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most dangerous and demanding industries in the 19th century. September 7, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/soc_impacts.html The Second World War triggered a series of rapid and far-reaching social changes in Newfoundland and Labrador. The establishment of foreign bases provided the Commission of Government with an unforeseen amount of wealth, which it used to improve social services. September 7, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/econ_impacts.html Although at the root of immeasurable and widespread suffering, the Second World War also initiated a time of great economic prosperity in Newfoundland and Labrador. August 3, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/lab7/labvol7_contents.html Volume VII of documents and arguments presented in 1927 by the Dominion of Canada on the one hand and the Colony of Newfoundland on the other hand to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London to resolve a dispute over the boundary of Labrador. July 30, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/depression_origin.html The 1920s were a time of great economic hardship and political instability for Newfoundland and Labrador. The First World War increased the country’s debt by $35 million, which severely handicapped all inter-war governments. July 30, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/depression_impacts.html The Great Depression was a time of widespread poverty and suffering in Newfoundland and Labrador. Steadily declining cod prices made it almost impossible for fishers to make a living, while wage cuts and layoffs plagued the forestry and mining industries. July 30, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/gov_response.html At the same time the government increased relief spending, it also contributed to the Depression crisis by laying off employees and making cuts to health care, education, and other social programs. July 24, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/disasters.html Some of Newfoundland and Labrador's best-known and most destructive disasters occurred during the era of Responsible Government. July 24, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/fire_1892.html Late in the afternoon of 8 July 1892, a small fire broke out in a St. John's stable after a lit pipe or match fell into a bundle of hay. Within hours, the fire had destroyed almost all of St. John's, leaving 11,000 people homeless and causing $13 million in property damage. July 24, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/sealing_disaster.html Although potentially lucrative, the Newfoundland and Labrador spring sealing industry was also more hazardous than any other local fishery at the turn of the 20th century. Five steamers were lost between 1906 and 1914, reducing the country's sealing fleet to 20 vessels. July 24, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/sealing_disaster_impact.html On 31 March 1914 the sealing vessel SS Southern Cross failed to arrive in St. John's as scheduled. Two days later, the public learned that sealers with the SS Newfoundland had spent 53 hours stranded on the North Atlantic ice floes in blizzard conditions. July 24, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/flu.html The Spanish influenza appeared in Newfoundland and Labrador in September 1918 and killed more than 600 people in less than five months. July 24, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/flu_impact.html The Spanish influenza did not originate in Newfoundland and Labrador, but the country's ports, shipping schedules, and global trade relations made it vulnerable to the disease. July 24, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/tsunami29.html On 18 November 1929 a tsunami struck Newfoundland’s Burin Peninsula and caused considerable loss of life and property. July 24, 2007 http://www.heritage.nf.ca/law/tsunami_public_response.html Once the tsunami passed, survivors turned their attention to helping the wounded and to salvaging food, clothes, and other belongings from the wrecked buildings and debris lining the shoreline.