Newfoundland Act
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to confirm and give effect to Terms of Union agreed between Canada and Newfoundland. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6 c. 22 |
| Dates | |
| Commencement | 23 March 1949 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
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 of Canada and Newfoundland 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.[1]
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.[2]
Previous Newfoundland Acts[]
Prior to the 1949 Act there were a handful of Acts with revisions to the Newfoundland's Constitution:[3]
- 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
References[]
- ^ Dominion Delegation, St. John's Telegram, December 11, 2005
- ^ Dominion Delegation, St. John's Telegram, December 11, 2005
- ^ "Newfoundland Acts | the Canadian Encyclopedia".
External links[]
- Newfoundland Act text
- Text of the British North America Act 1949 (c.22) as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
- British North American Act, 1949 (Newfoundland Act), audio reading of act by LibriVox (57m23s)
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- 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
- United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations