History in the Making JR Smallwood Documentary 1987
Transcript
00:00:00Sometimes, you have to defend yourself, but frequently, defending yourself only attracts
00:00:17more attack and attracts more attention.
00:00:22Do you remember what Mark Twain said about that?
00:00:25Never explain.
00:00:27Your enemies won't believe you, and your friends don't either.
00:00:51In the long run, I don't think there's any doubt at all that Smallwood's aim, his desire
00:01:11was to rebuild and recreate Newfoundland.
00:01:17And in spite of the problems that are confronting us today, I think that Smallwood did just that.
00:01:23Most of us know J.R. Smallwood as a politician, but in fact, he had several careers before even seeking political office.
00:01:31Before he was 20 years old, he was a reporter covering transatlantic flights.
00:01:36In New York, he worked for a left-wing daily newspaper and actively campaigned for the Progressive Party,
00:01:42his first brush with socialism.
00:01:45Back in Newfoundland, he became a railway organizer, a broadcaster, and an unsuccessful candidate in the 1932 general election.
00:01:54During World War II, he became a pig farmer, supplying pork to the armed forces at the Gander Air Base.
00:02:00His chance on the stage of history came, however, when the Labour government in Britain announced that Newfoundlanders,
00:02:07then ruled by an appointed commission of government, could elect representatives to a convention,
00:02:12to advise the government on the choice to be put to the electorate in a referendum about their political future.
00:02:18Smallwood, who passionately favored confederation with Canada, was elected to that national convention in 1946.
00:02:25Through mastery of the media, tireless energy, and sheer willpower, he won the second of two referenda on the 22nd of July, 1948.
00:02:34And on the 31st of March the following year, Newfoundland became Canada's 10th province.
00:02:40Bring me my bow of burning gold.
00:02:44Bring me my arrows of desire.
00:02:48Bring me my spear, O clouds, on hold.
00:02:52Bring me my chariot of fire.
00:02:55I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hands,
00:03:04till we have built Jerusalem in our green and pleasant land.
00:03:11Well, it was a very bitter campaign, you know.
00:03:14And people were persuaded on the peninsula of Avalon more than anywhere else to vote against it.
00:03:22And it was on the peninsula of Avalon that the establishment had the most influence.
00:03:28And Archbishop Roach, the Catholic Archbishop, he was out against it.
00:03:33No one knows why to this day, but he was.
00:03:37And the question was, you know, who was going to listen to us?
00:03:43They were much more important people.
00:03:47But outside the peninsula of Avalon, the people were more susceptible, you know, to hear both sides of it.
00:03:57And they didn't have any expectations.
00:04:01Anything would be better than what they had.
00:04:05And it was dangerous, too, you know.
00:04:10We had a lot of narrow escapes.
00:04:13I remember one time we were out at Harbor Grace, and it was a very calm day.
00:04:20We decided that if you went to the south side and turned the loudspeakers over, you'd cover all Harbor Grace.
00:04:27And Joe was saying his piece first, and I was standing up watching.
00:04:33The two bodyguards weren't paying much attention because there was no obvious, you know, crowd around.
00:04:39Next thing I saw, a fellow coming with an axe.
00:04:43And he's coming up behind Joe, and I shouted out to Tom Don.
00:04:46Tom knocked him down, took the axe.
00:04:49And he's going to chop him.
00:04:51The shopkeepers, the big shopkeepers, the owners of the big department stores along Water Street, were deadly afraid of Eatons and Simpsons.
00:05:01You see, Eatons and Simpsons were already doing quite a trade in Newfoundland mail order.
00:05:05And the Eaton catalogue and the Simpson catalogue would come in in tens of thousands.
00:05:10And every household on the island had at least two books, maybe three.
00:05:16They had the Bible, perhaps a prayer book, Eatons catalogue, and perhaps Simpsons.
00:05:21They might have as many as four books.
00:05:23And there was a big trade down that way, a mail order business.
00:05:27And these big shopkeepers in St. John would say, good God, look at the trade they're doing now.
00:05:34If we get Confederation, they'll be down here.
00:05:36They'll be opening shops down here.
00:05:38And we're finished.
00:05:40Now, I used to, I knew some of them personally.
00:05:43I used to say, why are you so foolish?
00:05:45In Toronto, in Montreal, wherever there's a big Eaton shop or a Simpson shop, you know what happens?
00:05:52Of course, you know what happens.
00:05:54Everybody tries to, every other shopkeeper tries to get a half a mile or a mile away from them, don't they?
00:05:59And that would sort of bring them up, you know, because they knew the difference.
00:06:04I said, look, anybody in wherever there's an Eaton shop tries to get next door to it if they can.
00:06:10Or straight across the street from it.
00:06:13Because they share in the trade.
00:06:15And this is what will happen here.
00:06:16This is what did happen here.
00:06:18But they didn't believe that and they were panicked.
00:06:22They were scared.
00:06:23Now, not all of them.
00:06:25There were merchants along Water Street who did support Confederation.
00:06:29But it was not the merchants that were the principal enemy.
00:06:32The principal enemy was a man who in his heart really believed in Confederation.
00:06:39And that was Peter Cashin.
00:06:41He was the great opponent of Confederation because he was a brilliant speaker.
00:06:45He was an orator.
00:06:46He had a wonderfully emotional, impassioned style of speech.
00:06:52He could coin phrases.
00:06:54He could talk straight into the hearts of people.
00:06:57And he was a powerful enemy.
00:06:59And I had a foreman worthy of my steel, believe me, in Peter.
00:07:05He was the greatest opponent of it.
00:07:09And the next great opponent was Chess Crosby.
00:07:12Because Chess is the one who...
00:07:15That's the late Chesley A. Crosby.
00:07:17He's the one who introduced the idea of economic union with the United States.
00:07:26Let us get back responsible government.
00:07:28So that when we get it back we can then go to the United States and try to make a deal with the United States.
00:07:34The minute Confederation came in, they poured.
00:07:37They poured in millions, in tens of millions, and in hundreds of millions of dollars to Newfoundland.
00:07:43And so I got all the praise and all the credit for that.
00:07:46Instead of their crediting Ottawa, who was paying the cash in here, they would praise me.
00:07:54Newfoundland, in the decade following Confederation, under the premiership of J.R. Smallwood,
00:08:00was a province hell-bent on development, and a province that, because of Confederation, appeared to be on the move.
00:08:07There was more money in more Newfoundland pockets, more jobs, and more opportunities.
00:08:13For a people who had known little other than hardship, it was a godsend.
00:08:17Smallwood and the Liberals triumphed at the polls.
00:08:20In the general election of 1951, the Conservatives elected only five members.
00:08:26In 1956, another general election returned 32 Liberals and only four Conservatives.
00:08:32And in 1959, the Conservatives were all but wiped out, electing but three members.
00:08:39Throughout the decade, Smallwood's energies were channeled towards developing the province.
00:08:44He saw industrialization as the key to broadening the province's very narrow economic base,
00:08:50and boasted that the day would come when Conception Bay would be dotted with factories.
00:08:55Smallwood traveled widely abroad, meeting with industrialist after industrialist, developer after developer,
00:09:02hoping to attract them to Newfoundland.
00:09:04A rubber plant opened, a chocolate factory opened by Adler's of Great Britain, a cement plant, a boot factory.
00:09:12Whatever the judgment of history will record about those projects, they provided work at the time for tens of thousands of Newfoundlanders.
00:09:20Interviewed by national television in Ottawa, J.R. Smallwood was able to make this boast.
00:09:25Well, so far as unemployment, actual unemployment itself is concerned, we have virtually none.
00:09:33And we have had none most of the year.
00:09:36A little seasonal unemployment in the winter months.
00:09:40But ordinarily, we are going ahead quite rapidly in Newfoundland as we have very little unemployment.
00:09:46Though we are interested in the federal proposals for assistance when we do have it.
00:09:56Well, Confederate Chairmen Howard, Confederate Ireland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia,
00:10:01and how they may vote at this meeting, will be used as a yardstick in measuring Newfoundland's needs.
00:10:05Does this still apply?
00:10:06Yes, that's true. That's true generally.
00:10:09Under the terms of union, when Newfoundland entered the confederation, we did so.
00:10:15According to certain terms that were worked out and signed between Canada and Newfoundland.
00:10:21And one of these terms provides for a review of the whole effect, financial effect, of the confederation upon Newfoundland.
00:10:31And that review takes place within eight years of our joining.
00:10:36That eight years would be up about two years from now.
00:10:40And in that term, it's provided that the maritime problems become a sort of yardstick for Newfoundland.
00:10:50And so that's why we like very much to see the maritime problems do well in these conferences.
00:10:57Because the better they do, the better we will do when the right time comes.
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00:11:45Birthdays.
00:11:47One of those days.
00:11:49Potholes.
00:11:51Mud holes.
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00:11:56People on their phones.
00:11:59Epic storms.
00:12:02And bug swarms.
00:12:04There are many reasons we make the Subaru Impreza the way we do.
00:12:11I love this moment.
00:12:12But what would I do if this ticket won?
00:12:15I'd spend six months in Mississippi listening to the Delta Blues.
00:12:19I'd stay in the world's nicest hotels.
00:12:23And random ones, just to keep things interesting.
00:12:27My house in Hawaii would be built in the trees.
00:12:29And every day,
00:12:30I'd do something I've never done before.
00:12:32LottoMax. The world's your playground.
00:13:01Be alive.
00:13:02So nice.
00:13:03So let's go, go, go, go, go.
00:13:13Kids do some unusual things.
00:13:15And we shouldn't just accept that.
00:13:17We should celebrate it.
00:13:18With original recipe fries, gravy and warm buttery bread.
00:13:22KFC's new Family Roundup meal.
00:13:24Just $19.99.
00:13:31All right.
00:13:35Nature.
00:13:38I love it out here.
00:13:43In the late 50s, J.R. Smallwood faced his first two serious crises since Confederation.
00:13:49One was the bitter IWA dispute.
00:13:51And the other, the federal government's review of Term 29 in the Articles of Confederation.
00:13:57He turned both events in his favor.
00:13:59Smashing the IWA.
00:14:01And embarking on a cross-Canada tour to plead Newfoundland's case against Ottawa's unilateral decision
00:14:07to end financial assistance to the province under that article.
00:14:11Both early and late in the year, he took to province-wide television.
00:14:15And used the new medium as effectively as he had used radio during the Confederation battle.
00:14:21It's a civil war.
00:14:23By their fruits, ye shall know them.
00:14:27And what bitter fruit from this terrible outfit.
00:14:31The IWA, since they came to Newfoundland, have brought nothing but trouble.
00:14:38Trouble, bad feeling, such as we have never known before.
00:14:45And you should have seen the camps in those days.
00:14:50They were terrible.
00:14:52No showers or anything like that.
00:14:56And those companies had sweetheart deals.
00:15:00And they never paid any corporation taxes.
00:15:03This is why they put up the money to fight Confederation.
00:15:09I think the first taxes they paid, something like three and a half millions each.
00:15:15So they've been paying that ever since.
00:15:19And no wonder they put money into fighting it.
00:15:22Because it must have cost them a tremendous lot since.
00:15:27His critics, then and now, maintain that the IWA strike was one of Smallwood's major political mistakes.
00:15:35But his massive appeal and boundless energy kept him in the political spotlight.
00:15:40And for the most part, J.R. Smallwood continued to be seen as the only man capable of leading the province.
00:15:46He was a man Newfoundlanders could identify with.
00:15:49And often, their problems wound up on his front doorstep.
00:15:52Smallwood was considered by some as a dictator, using his cabinet as a mere rubber stamp to get his own ideas into action.
00:16:00But for the people who worked with him around the cabinet table, there's a different story.
00:16:05You could argue with them. We did argue with them in cabinet.
00:16:08I won some. I lost some.
00:16:10But that's the nature of cabinet government, or of any arrangement.
00:16:14In a marriage, you win some, you lose some.
00:16:17He was deeply knowledgeable.
00:16:20It was no good arguing with them unless you had the facts, unless you had your arguments thought out,
00:16:26unless you knew how to express your case and knew what you wanted.
00:16:30But given that, he would change.
00:16:33I could name you decision after decision after decision of the Smallwood administration,
00:16:40where the consensus of the cabinet either was very strongly influenced by other ministers
00:16:50or represented in one or two cases of matters where Mr. Smallwood felt very strongly,
00:16:56but in effect had been carried along by the other ministers.
00:17:00Now, that didn't happen on the major issues of policy.
00:17:03But then again, on major issues, we were all of the same mind.
00:17:06That's really why we formed a political party.
00:17:08So he wasn't a dictator, but many people believe he was.
00:17:11He was a very eloquent and forceful debater.
00:17:15If you were in an argument with him, you'd better come prepared.
00:17:19And those who didn't come prepared inevitably got snowed under, inevitably lost.
00:17:24And I guess these are the people who will go to their graves believing him a dictator.
00:17:27They're wrong.
00:17:28Smallwood, he was a dictator.
00:17:31You shut up when he gave you a dirty look, or you spoke and said what he wanted you to say and all that.
00:17:40The fact of the matter is that there were very little of the dictator in Smallwood who were counted,
00:17:47and that was in the cabinet.
00:17:49The cabinet, you had men like Dr. Jim McGrath, Dr. Alan Fraker, J.T. Cheeseman,
00:17:56Miles Murray, B.J. Abbott, and go on like that.
00:18:00These men weren't kicked and pushed around by Smallwood.
00:18:04There were times, of course, when he disagreed with them.
00:18:08We disagreed over and over.
00:18:14But in the cabinet, when Smallwood realized that most or perhaps even only half of the cabinet
00:18:22were against a certain measure, a certain policy,
00:18:28the chances were that he would withdraw, drop the thing altogether, forget about it,
00:18:33instead of trying to ram it down the throats of cabinet ministers who were opposed to that particular thing.
00:18:43A lot of people didn't like Smallwood.
00:18:47A lot of people didn't like some of his policies.
00:18:50They didn't like the way he used to do it.
00:18:55But these were outside things.
00:18:58They didn't count very much.
00:19:00The essential thing was inside.
00:19:04And Smallwood will, in my view, I think in the view of most people who are familiar with the whole background,
00:19:11would be regarded as one of the greatest new commanders of all time.
00:19:16No doubt in my mind about that at all.
00:19:18Which is not to say he didn't commit some serious errors.
00:19:23So did Churchill, by the way.
00:19:25So did Eisenhower.
00:19:28So did Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
00:19:35Someday perhaps the historians will be able to compare,
00:19:41the Newfoundland historians will be able to compare some of the things that Smallwood did.
00:19:46And that other political leaders did.
00:19:51I think when that time comes, people will be surprised how similar,
00:19:56how similar were the actions of people like, say, Roosevelt and Smallwood,
00:20:03who didn't know each other at all.
00:20:06But many of Smallwood's achievements resembled Roosevelt's.
00:20:13And many of his mistakes resembled mistakes that Roosevelt made.
00:20:17After years of generous financial aid from Canada,
00:20:20Newfoundlanders were becoming accustomed to a new way of life.
00:20:24Free education brought with it the emergence of a new intellectual society.
00:20:28And it was the new intellectuals who provided the first glimpse of dissatisfaction with the Smallwood regime.
00:20:34During that same period, a young John Crosby was beginning to carve out for himself a career in politics.
00:20:40As a member of the St. John's City Council, he proved his competence as a politician,
00:20:45and was subsequently appointed to the Provincial Cabinet as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Supply.
00:20:51After a falling out with Smallwood, Crosby challenged his leadership at the 1969 Liberal Convention.
00:20:58There will be the election of the Congressional President.
00:21:03If you don't take that thing out of there, you're going to smash it.
00:21:08In the election for leadership, we have 1,715.
00:21:36Peter Cook, 3.
00:21:40John Crosby, 440.
00:21:48T.A. Hickman, 187.
00:21:55Randy Joyce, 13.
00:22:00J.R. Smallwood, 1,070.
00:22:31John Crosby, 3.
00:22:35John Crosby, 440.
00:22:40John Crosby, 3.
00:22:45John Crosby, 440.
00:22:50John Crosby, 3.
00:22:55John Crosby, 440.
00:23:00John Crosby, 3.
00:23:06I am thankful and grateful to you.
00:23:15This is the voice of the Convention.
00:23:18All Democratic Liberals will accept this.
00:23:21All Democratic Liberals will accept this.
00:23:27Mr. Hickman has been up on the platform,
00:23:32and Mr. Hickman has offered me his congratulations.
00:23:42Now I wonder, what about Mr. Crosby?
00:23:47Will Mr. Crosby come up and make it to the end?
00:23:53He's trying to get in.
00:24:02Ladies and gentlemen, the winner...
00:24:32Mr. Crosby.
00:24:35With the final thing, ladies and gentlemen,
00:24:38I'd like to wish Mr. Crosby well on his big dream.
00:24:42I hope he has a successful next year, or whatever it is,
00:24:47when he starts off.
00:24:50I wish him success for at least...
00:24:55I think he has a little bit of success this year,
00:24:58so I wish him...
00:25:02I wish him well.
00:25:04We will continue to fight for the people of Newfoundland.
00:25:11I thank Mr. Crosby.
00:25:14Although Smallwood emerged from the convention with an overwhelming show of support,
00:25:19damage had been done.
00:25:21After 20 years in power, his ideas were losing their appeal,
00:25:25and Newfoundlanders now sought a new approach.
00:25:28In 1970, Frank Morris became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.
00:25:33In contrast with Smallwood, Morris' policies favored rural development and resource management.
00:25:38In the 1971 election, Frank Morris' conservatives won 21 seats,
00:25:43Smallwood's liberals, 20.
00:25:45After three-tenths months, Frank Morris was asked to form the government.
00:25:49It marked the end of the Smallwood era.
00:25:52Newfoundland's first premier resigned on January 18th, 1972.
00:25:57I would now like to present to you a memento,
00:26:03a rather large memento,
00:26:05but a memento which reflects, in a small way, our gratitude for your leadership.
00:26:12Here we are.
00:26:28Oh!
00:26:34Oh, Mr. Henry Smallwood!
00:26:36Oh!
00:26:53Ladies and gentlemen, in the absence of Mrs. Smallwood,
00:26:57who unfortunately cannot be with us tonight,
00:26:59the Premier's daughter, Mrs. Sarah Russell, will accept this lovely bouquet
00:27:03from Senator Patten's lovely young daughter.
00:27:06Ready?
00:27:14There are in the bouquet, incidentally, 23 roses.
00:27:22Following Smallwood's resignation,
00:27:24the Liberal Party was headed by one of his closest colleagues,
00:27:27lawyer Ed Roberts.
00:27:29Stepping down from the political limelight was not an easy task for Smallwood.
00:27:33For years, he had lived and breathed politics.
00:27:36Now, with lots of time to reassess his future,
00:27:39he felt he could make a comeback.
00:27:41In 1974, two years after his resignation,
00:27:44he challenged Ed Roberts as Liberal leader.
00:27:47Although unsuccessful in that attempt, he refused to give up.
00:27:51And during that same year, he formed the Liberal Reform Party.
00:27:55In 1975, an election was called,
00:27:58with the Liberals split over Smallwood's return.
00:28:01Frank Morris once again formed the government.
00:28:04Any sensible person knew that the only effect of his starting
00:28:08his so-called Liberal Reform Party
00:28:11would be to increase the chances of the PCs being re-elected.
00:28:14In fact, the way it worked out, when the dust appeared on election night,
00:28:17he had re-elected Frank Morris.
00:28:19Frank Morris' second term as Premier
00:28:22came about as a result of Joe Smallwood's putting that party in.
00:28:27He could not have believed he could win the election.
00:28:31He could not have believed he would even get more votes than the Liberals.
00:28:35But he went around saying to people publicly in the campaign,
00:28:38doesn't matter which Liberal Party you vote for,
00:28:41it certainly did if you had two Liberal,
00:28:43you know, a Liberal Party and a Liberal Reform, competing.
00:28:46And I think he knew that. He had to know that.
00:28:50But at this point, being bitter, I was very angry with him that night
00:28:53because I think that we could have done a better job
00:28:55as the Governor of Newfoundland than Frank Morris and the PC Party did.
00:28:59But, what's to say?
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00:31:51In 1977,
00:31:52Joey Smallwood resigned his seat in the legislature
00:31:55and permanently retired from politics.
00:31:58Smallwood concentrated on his writing
00:32:00and devoted most of his time to the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador.
00:32:04He called the Encyclopedia one of his lifelong goals,
00:32:07and by all accounts,
00:32:09he now thrived on his work as an author.
00:32:11He viewed politics now only as an interested observer,
00:32:15but he enjoyed watching closely the performance of his successors.
00:32:19It was at the time of the flag controversy,
00:32:24and Joey said to me,
00:32:27Brian, don't do it.
00:32:29You can't win this fight.
00:32:33I know what you're trying to do.
00:32:35I know it's important.
00:32:38It was for me, too.
00:32:40But you have the churches,
00:32:41you have the Canadian Legion,
00:32:42and you have many other people who have their own ideas.
00:32:46You have the Tradition List and all the rest of the things,
00:32:48and you just can't win it.
00:32:50There's too many organizations with power in this problem.
00:32:53My response was that
00:32:56I think you're applying 1960 and 1950
00:33:02politics to 1970.
00:33:05At once, it's going to be difficult.
00:33:07I think it can be achieved.
00:33:10But he said, no, you're wrong.
00:33:13The problem hasn't changed that much,
00:33:15and there still is deep-rooted feelings about the flag of England,
00:33:21pro and con, pink, white, and green,
00:33:24the whole range of other things, religious and other.
00:33:28Then, you know, he made a big pitch on it.
00:33:32He also advised some of the lines that we just talked about.
00:33:38You know, you've got to be decisive,
00:33:40and you've got to get on and make decisions,
00:33:42and you can't allow yourself as Premier
00:33:45to be totally dictated to by the public servants and others,
00:33:50all of whom have, from time to time,
00:33:52very vested interests.
00:33:53He would raise that as well.
00:33:56It's really hard times, and that can be tough.
00:33:59Nearly 40 years have passed
00:34:01since J.R. Smallwood made Newfoundland a province of Canada.
00:34:04And for most of us,
00:34:06it's hard to imagine all the changes that have taken place.
00:34:09No matter how strong the bitterness felt
00:34:11by the anti-Confederates of the late 40s,
00:34:13there is no question today
00:34:15that J.R. Smallwood's contributions have been invaluable.
00:34:18Friend and foe alike cannot deny
00:34:21that the Smallwood era had changed
00:34:23the destiny of Newfoundland.
00:34:25The thing is that Smallwood had enormous abilities
00:34:32of one kind and another,
00:34:34and he put these to use.
00:34:36And the point I was leading up to a moment ago
00:34:41was that when the Newfoundland people
00:34:43finally realized that Smallwood was indeed telling the truth,
00:34:47they had their checks.
00:34:49They had their old age pension, their family allowance,
00:34:51their other social welfare benefits.
00:34:53The war veterans were getting more money.
00:34:58The mothers, the widows, the unmarried mothers, so on.
00:35:05They were all getting benefits, social benefits,
00:35:09far superior to anything they'd ever dreamed of.
00:35:14And when it became obvious to the people of Newfoundland
00:35:18that Smallwood had indeed not misled them,
00:35:22quite the opposite,
00:35:24then they thought that they owed a debt of gratitude to Smallwood
00:35:31and to others who worked with Smallwood.
00:35:33And so when you went into a district,
00:35:36in the airport, say,
00:35:39the district was receptive for you.
00:35:43They had seen the evidence.
00:35:46They had seen the new world,
00:35:48and the new world worked.
00:35:50When the people went to the post office after Confederation
00:35:54and got their old age pensions and their family allowances
00:35:57and the unemployment insurance came later,
00:36:00you know, it was like manna from heaven.
00:36:06And then the building of the roads
00:36:09and joining them under the 20th century
00:36:13and the improvement in the schools.
00:36:16And in those days, before Confederation,
00:36:19you'd hear every summer about so many children dying with endocarditis,
00:36:25I think they called it.
00:36:27It was an intestinal thing.
00:36:30But you see, if you had a settlement with, say, 100 houses in it
00:36:34and all septic tanks overflowing into the water system,
00:36:41this is what did it.
00:36:42Because after we put in the water and sewer systems,
00:36:46you didn't hear, you never hear of it now, do you?
00:36:49Beriberi was a very awful thing at that time.
00:36:53It was a nutritional disease, you know,
00:36:56and it was complete disintegration.
00:36:59You never hear of beriberi now, at least I don't.
00:37:03And you may not be able to hear this,
00:37:05but I was talking to a man the other day and he said,
00:37:08You know, one thing I know is you never see a snotty nose youngster now.
00:37:13And you'd never believe how true that is.
00:37:16They couldn't afford to have had this.
00:37:21But the people are better off,
00:37:23and I think the most of them acknowledge that.
00:37:26I think he was very kindly remembered.
00:37:28There are some who go to their graves twisted and distorted,
00:37:32which is sad.
00:37:34It doesn't hurt him, but it does hurt them.
00:37:37But I think most Newfoundlanders,
00:37:39even those who ceased to support him or never supported him politically,
00:37:45will look back and say,
00:37:47Look, he changed things very much for the better.
00:37:49Now, it's easy to say he could have done more or he made mistakes.
00:37:52When you see what's happened with the two men who've been there since,
00:37:56Mr. Thetford and Mr. Morris,
00:37:58you begin to realize that nobody is perfect
00:38:00and that most people are quite imperfect.
00:38:03And that what Joe Smallwood did that was criticized
00:38:09really is not as much wrong or not as much mistaken
00:38:14as other policies that other men and other parties have followed.
00:38:18There's not a Newfoundlander today whose life, even today,
00:38:21I mean, we're nigh on 40 years away from Confederation now,
00:38:25there's not a Newfoundlander today whose life hasn't been improved dramatically
00:38:30because of Joe Smallwood's public contribution,
00:38:34because of what he did as Premier,
00:38:36what he did in public life in this province.
00:38:38There's not one, not a man or a woman or a child
00:38:40between Cape Race and Cape Fiddley.
00:38:43Confederation, no question about it.
00:38:45I think that that is the foremost achievement of his career in politics.
00:38:51The other one, which I mentioned when he received the Order of Companion of Canada,
00:38:55is in the whole area of education.
00:38:57I think that those are the two major areas that I would give Mr. Smallwood very high marks.
00:39:03And so I believe that he'd like to be remembered with his books
00:39:08in the school libraries and in the various libraries around the province.
00:39:12And that's why I think he put so much time and effort and money into his encyclopedia.
00:39:19That would have been, I think, the thing that he would like to be remembered by most of all.
00:39:28I'm Amanda Muse with your Herald Quick View.
00:39:30This week's cover of the Newfoundland Herald features Jason Priestley.
00:39:34In the tradition of the Herald, Priestley, along with some Newfoundland-born actors,
00:39:38tell us about their roles in Chad Kelly's upcoming film.
00:39:41In our feature pages, Lydia McLaughlin features on life after real housewives in Orange County.
00:39:47And don't forget to retweet to win your seat to Eastbound Hoedown,
00:39:50Confederation Hill Music Festival, Salmon Fest, or Monster Spectacular.
00:39:54It's all in this week's issue of the Newfoundland Herald in stores and online now.
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00:42:34Three years ago, J.R. Smallwood suffered a stroke.
00:42:37Forcing his work on the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador to come to a grinding halt.
00:42:42His time was spent here at his home on Roach's Line.
00:42:46For the man who was once known as one of our greatest orators, life suddenly became a very peaceful and quiet existence.
00:42:53It was a time for reflection.
00:42:55A time to look back at a lifetime of achievements.
00:42:59In late 1986, J.R. Smallwood's dearest friends and former colleagues gathered in St. John's to pay him tribute.
00:43:06He was presented with this country's highest civic honor, a Companion of the Order of Canada.
00:43:12This is a very historic day for this house.
00:43:15We come here today to celebrate a man who is, or who truly can be said, is a legend in his own time.
00:43:28Journalist.
00:43:31Historian.
00:43:33Commentator.
00:43:35Politician.
00:43:37Premier.
00:43:39Statesman.
00:43:42A man affectionately known, and sometimes not affectionately known, as Joe.
00:43:48A man who we all have grown to love.
00:43:52It can be said, Mr. Smallwood, that though he has walked with monarchs and princes and heads of great international companies and traveled the world, he has never lost a common touch.
00:44:09He has never lost a sense of his place as a Newtonlander.
00:44:19He has never missed an opportunity to celebrate his past.
00:44:24You know, I remember going through a wedding in Surabi one time and seeing a monument or an epitaph to Christopher Wren.
00:44:37And it said, if you seek his monument, look around you.
00:44:42Mr. Smallwood, a great builder, has monuments all around him.
00:44:48And we today have the rare opportunity to celebrate this great man.
00:44:55A man who can be said is certainly the greatest Newtonlander.
00:45:02A great Canadian.
00:45:05And today, amongst his family, his former colleagues, his former opponents, we are joined together today in order that the nation can bestow upon him its highest honor.
00:45:23I am very proud of this moment and very proud to have this opportunity to welcome you here to witness this ceremony as Mr. Smallwood is conferred with the companionship of the Order of Canada.
00:45:38Your Honor, distinguished guests, it is, as His Honor has said, an extremely historic day in the life of our province, Newfoundland and Labrador.
00:45:57I was just saying to Mr. Smallwood before I came into the room, if you remember the night, and I'm glad I did have the opportunity after I took the office I now hold,
00:46:11we spent almost a whole night, from about 7 o'clock in the evening to about 5 o'clock the next morning,
00:46:19conversing, he and I together, both in the Confederation Building and at his office as well, Portugal Coal Road.
00:46:28I guess I am one of the generation who can say, without fear of contradiction, that as one of the commander, I owe personally to Mr. Smallwood a great debt,
00:46:43because I am of the great honor that to know and to know Mr. Smallwood, I will humbly remind him that in the midst that I stood most simply for the University,
00:46:54because I remember the dawn that my friends would, when the moon turned to dawn,
00:47:00I knew what the meaning of that was, and I am glad that Mr. Smallwood was there with me,
00:47:07because he was one of the great, number one, number one in the world, and it will soon be tomorrow,
00:47:14and I knew the situation was divided at the time, I didn't want to go,
00:47:18because that was a $600 boat to go and talk to Mr. Smallwood,
00:47:24and I'm told that's why I said it was a coup d'etat, it was a coup d'etat,
00:47:28so I might owe a little bit of personal, a little bit of personal debt.
00:47:34I think it's important to note, that a person like Mr. Smallwood, who left home in this Canada himself,
00:47:43and by whom I knew as a person, and whom that person was not surprised,
00:47:48had a mission that I was granted, or someone like myself that I was granted a mission granted,
00:47:53that this ceremony was so close to go to a successful end,
00:47:59that I had a mission that Mr. Smallwood was there with my father,
00:48:02both in his own character, personality, and in his own wisdom,
00:48:06and in his attitude towards me, et cetera, et cetera.
00:48:09Also, as an honor of this notion, Mr. Smallwood, I was just qualified,
00:48:15not only to have him by the door, but Canada,
00:48:18in the sense that when they look like Mr. Smallwood's career,
00:48:21it is an extremely valuable and very much wanted subject,
00:48:26and I am very pleased and honored and proud to have this opportunity to be part of this movement,
00:48:32and soon, as Mr. Smallwood, in this very important historic ceremony.
00:48:37And I am so pleased, and on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,
00:48:43and their government, that I am sure I have spoken for all who will follow,
00:48:48and I would like to welcome them to the government of Newfoundland and the government of Labrador.
00:48:54The life and the hope of Newfoundland, Smallwood.
00:49:01The name of Newfoundland is given on this.
00:49:04Born in Canada, raised in Black Panther, and raised in Labrador.
00:49:10The story of his father, Mr. Smallwood, is very much a connection
00:49:14to the founding of the state of Newfoundland, and to the founding of Canada.
00:49:19His father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:23and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:27and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:30and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:33and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:36and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:39and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:42and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:45and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland.
00:49:50and his father, Mr. Smallwood, was born in Newfoundland,
00:49:54…and ever missed an opportunity to celebrate this promise.
00:50:01And you know, I remember going
00:50:03And you know, I remember going through Westminster Abbey one time
00:50:05through Westminster Abbey one time and seeing a monument, or nepotiah,
00:50:08to Sir Christopher Wrenn.
00:50:13And if you seek his monument, look around you.
00:50:18Mr. Smallwood, a great builder, has monuments all around him.
00:50:24And we today have the rare opportunity to celebrate this great life.
00:50:32A man for whom it can be said is certainly the greatest Newfoundlander, a great Canadian.
00:50:40Today, amongst his family, his former colleagues, his former opponents,
00:50:48we're joined together today in order that the nation can bestow upon him its highest honor.
00:50:58I'm very proud of this moment and very proud to have this opportunity to welcome you here
00:51:04to witness this ceremony as Mr. Smallwood is conferred with the Companionship of the Order of Canada.
00:51:14Thank you.
00:51:20Your Honor, distinguished guests, it is, as His Honor has said, an extremely historic day
00:51:27in the life of our province, Newfoundland and Labrador.
00:51:32And I was just saying to Mr. Smallwood before I came in the room,
00:51:38if he remembered the night, and I'm glad I did have the opportunity after I took the office I now hold,
00:51:45to spend almost a whole night from about 7 o'clock in the evening to about 5 o'clock the next morning
00:51:55rehearsing he and I together, both in the Confederation Building and at his offices off Portugal Cove Road.
00:52:02I guess I am one of the generation who can say without fear of contradiction that,
00:52:11as Wonderful Landowner, I owe personally, Mr. Smallwood, a great debt
00:52:18because I am of the generation that was able to take advantage of some of the monuments that he built.
00:52:25And I speak most particularly of the University because I remember the day,
00:52:31it was my first year, when the new campus opened and we were walking down Elizabeth Avenue
00:52:38and Mrs. Roosevelt was there and a great number of people from around the world there, Mr. Smallwood.
00:52:46And it was through Memorial and the financial assistance that was provided at the time,
00:52:51I was one of those who got the $600 grant to go and take some education
00:52:58and then pay it back by serving as a teacher in the schools of the province.
00:53:02So I have a sort of a personal edge to give to the ceremony today.
00:53:08I think it's extremely fitting that a person like Mr. Smallwood, who has so enriched Canada himself
00:53:17and by being a leading advocate of seeing that Canada was enriched by having Newfoundland join it,
00:53:24or as some would like to say, Canada joining Newfoundland,
00:53:27that this ceremony that takes place today to reciprocate that enrichment that Mr. Smallwood was very much a part of,
00:53:36both in his own character and personality and in his leading advocacy for Confederation.
00:53:42Also as an honor of his nation, Mr. Smallwood I guess best personifies not only Newfoundland and Labrador,
00:53:50but Canada in the sense that when you look at Mr. Smallwood's career, it is an extremely diverse one,
00:53:57very much like the country.
00:54:00And I am very pleased and honored and proud to have this opportunity today to join with you
00:54:06in seeing and witnessing this very important historic ceremony.
00:54:12May I say in conclusion that on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador,
00:54:17through their government, that I'm sure I speak for all when we say a hearty congratulations
00:54:24to a great Newfoundlander and a great Canadian.
00:54:27The Right Honorable Joseph Smallwood.
00:54:34Premier of Newfoundland for 21 years, a former journalist, radio broadcaster, and labor activist.
00:54:43The sole living father of Confederation spearheaded the movement which culminated in Newfoundland becoming the 10th province of Canada.
00:54:53The school dropped out and continued study at night, in the process becoming interested in social reform and labor movement.
00:55:02This led him to enter the political arena as a Liberal Democratic candidate and later as a leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland.
00:55:15He is a part of the Newfoundlander Canadian Alliance, we refer to him fondly as Joey.
00:55:23He retired from public life in 1977.
00:55:27The Honorable Joseph Smallwood.
00:55:31On behalf of Her Majesty, Mr. Prime Minister, on behalf of the nation of Newfoundland Canada.
00:55:44Thank you.
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00:58:44The Newfoundland Herald.
00:58:45And Newfoundland's Oz FM.
00:58:47How much more are you going to lie to me?
00:58:49Is there anything else you may have forgotten to declare?
00:58:52Oh, there's one here that looks unusual.
00:58:55Look at this, eh?
00:58:56He's got a girlfriend and a wife.
00:58:58I think his girlfriend's here.
00:58:59Why would he lie about that?
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00:59:07When I swabbed your personal belongings, I got a couple readings for cocaine.
00:59:11Border Security.
00:59:13Sunday at 8.30 on Canada's Superstation and TV.
00:59:17You won't believe the new Big Brother house guests.
00:59:20The Liar.
00:59:21And I'm like, wait a minute!
00:59:23The Hillbilly.
00:59:24I knew you was trouble when you first walked in.
00:59:26The Wrestler.
00:59:27I got giddy, like a schoolgirl.
00:59:28Big Brother, Sunday at 9.30 on Canada's Superstation and TV.
00:59:35This year, it was an emotional scene at the Smallwood residence,
00:59:38as our first Premier faced a lawsuit of more than $176,000.
00:59:43Newfoundlanders and Canadians alike were shocked to hear the news.
00:59:47Offers of help poured in from all over the nation.
00:59:50Country singer Tommy Hunter was one of the first to lend a helping hand.
00:59:54So good to see you.
00:59:55Hi.
00:59:56Hi, Tommy.
00:59:57I've waited for this day for a long time.
01:00:00You're looking well.
01:00:02It's so good to see you.
01:00:05I think that's great.
01:00:07Are you Bill?
01:00:08Yeah, I'm Bill.
01:00:09Hi, Bill, how are you?
01:00:10So good to see you.
01:00:11You've been a lifesaver, believe me.
01:00:13Listen.
01:00:14You've been a lifesaver.
01:00:15That's great.
01:00:16That's great.
01:00:17Well, I think it's, you know, I've said it when I come in,
01:00:20and we've had phone calls.
01:00:28An American called me yesterday, and he said,
01:00:34I saw and heard about this news broadcast about what we were doing for you.
01:00:41And he said that he wanted, he says, I don't have a lot of money.
01:00:48But he says, I want you to take my phone number and give me my address.
01:00:53And when you get an address, he says,
01:00:55I want to mail you some money for this gentleman.
01:00:58He says, I think it's just wonderful what he has done,
01:01:02and he says, I'm very sorry for what has happened to him.
01:01:04And he says, I want to mail some money.
01:01:06There was a fellow that says, I don't have a lot of cash,
01:01:10but I've got an old antique car that is in A1 shape.
01:01:15And he says, I'm going to give you the car.
01:01:18So I'm just trying to pick some unusual phone calls.
01:01:26People have heard that I was going to be coming down here.
01:01:29The people and the interest that they have shown,
01:01:31they have come to the forefront because of Joey Smallwood.
01:01:37They just, they love him.
01:01:39I said one time, and I remember somebody,
01:01:45I remember when the boat people were coming in.
01:01:49Somebody suggested it was a very political thing.
01:01:53A lot of people were saying, well, they're going to come in,
01:01:55they're going to take work away.
01:01:58And I remember saying, if you're standing on a shore
01:02:02and you're looking out and you see a drowning man,
01:02:07you don't stop and say what are your political viewpoints
01:02:11or let me look at the color of your skin.
01:02:13I think you reach out and you grab him and you pull him in.
01:02:17You can't let him drown.
01:02:19And I feel the same way about this gentleman.
01:02:21When I saw that, it was an emotional thing that I saw.
01:02:26And not only was it an emotional thing,
01:02:29it was a gentleman that I greatly admire and respect.
01:02:36The folks here in Newfoundland are extremely proud.
01:02:40He's a hometown boy.
01:02:42And all of the Maritimes, it's a hometown boy.
01:02:47But he's also a great Canadian, and we're all very proud of our country.
01:02:52A lot of times we think that we sort of blend in with our southern friends,
01:02:58the United States, but it's like one of us has just been kicked
01:03:03and suddenly all Canadians come together and say, hey, he's one of ours
01:03:07and something has happened to him that we don't particularly like.
01:03:14So I think we all have a great deal of compassion
01:03:17and a great deal of feeling for him, as you can tell, Charles.
01:03:25For Newfoundland and Labrador and all our people, thank you.
01:03:37♪♪
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