Para-Diplomacy by Provincial Legislatures: How Turkey and Caribou Make the Case.

• Author: Browne, Mark D.

The notion of cooperative federalism has come to supplant executive federalism as the preferred modus operandi of federal-provincial relations; provinces are increasingly promoting their interests both domestically and abroad. In this article, the author explains how provincial legislatures can participate in these promotional diplomatic efforts when a matter is non-partisan. He outlines how Newfoundland and Labrador's recent Speakers have been instrumental in using their offices and status to achieve the province's diplomatic goal: erecting a caribou statue in Gallipoli to honour the Royal Newfoundland Regiment--the site where the Regiment's first gallantry awards were earned after 29 men of the Regiment were killed in action and 10 more died of disease.

Introduction

The first half of the 20th century was marked by stark shifts in Newfoundland and Labrador's political status. It began as a country with its own standing army during World War I (WWI), and would surrender its self-governing status in 1934 before joining Canada in 1949.

Though inhabited by Indigenous peoples and visited by the Vikings, Newfoundland and Labrador was not colonized by England until 1497 for its bountiful cod fishery. It was granted representative government in 1832, responsible government in 1855, and semi-autonomous Dominion status in 1907, governed by its own prime minister and government. This struggle for self-determination yielded a brimming pride and stubborn nationalism, so much so that the prospect of joining Canada in the 19th century was jettisoned by prominent Newfoundlanders fearful of compromising their national identity. Later attempts by Newfoundland to join Canada would be rebuffed by Canada as a result of Newfoundland's constant struggle to maintain its financial solvency and sovereignty (1).

The First World War left an indelible mark on Newfoundland's political evolution and cultural ethos. Newfoundland's WWI fighting force, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment - labelled by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "better than the best" (2) was the only regiment to receive the prefix "Royal" during the First World War and only the third, and last, in the history of the British Empire to receive such an honour during hostilities (3).

Part of that indelible mark was its cost--in money and in causalities--which contributed to the pervasive feeling that a generation was lost to the War. The effects are starkly noticed on July 1st each year; while the rest of the country commence Canada Day celebrations, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians pause until noon to commemorate the major losses sustained by members of the Regiment on the morning of July 1, 1916 at Beaumont-Hamel, France. It was then, during the Battle of the Somme, that one of the deadliest days of the War transpired. Eight hundred men went over the top that morning, but only 68 answered the call the next morning.

The War's financial cost compounded an already dire fiscal situation for the Dominion. The subsequent decline of the fishery and global economic crisis led Newfoundland into a financially crippling decade.

By 1933, the public debt had doubled, service charges comprised 60 per cent of annual revenues, and borrowing capacity ceased (4). As a result, Newfoundland --a country which had its own Regimental Force and established global relationships of trade and commerce (5)--ceded its self-governing status. By 1949, following a razor-thin referendum, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians opted to join Canada.

Transition to a Province of Canada

The shift from country to province for Newfoundland and Labrador involved the negotiation of the Terms of Union, where its transition was formalized. They included some localized provisions such as a guarantee of a ferry service to mainland Canada, but by and large Newfoundland and Labrador was expected to integrate into the Canadian mosaic of provinces.

Lines have long been drawn in the Canadian federation on the respective roles assigned to the federal and provincial levels of government in the division of powers of our Constitution. This leads to a mostly harmonious federation predicated on the notion that where cooperation can exist between two levels of government, it does, but ultimately one level of government does not intrude on the other. But, as the world becomes more connected than ever, strict division of powers become increasingly untenable.

In 1648, the peace of Westphalia solidified the notion of sovereignty by...