Contemporary documents (I)

In May, 1980, the Hon. A. Brian Peckford, was Premier and Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs in what is now Dannystan. Peckford claims that there were sooper sekrit “trade deals” by which fish quotas off Canada were traded to other countries in exchange for trade considerations which benefited provinces other than his own.

Make that – Peckford now claims.

In that month of May, 1980, Mr. Peckford, in his official role, issued a document entitled “Discussion Paper on Major Bilateral Issues; Canada-Newfoundland”.*

The document is fascinating and fun. Run down the library and look it up. Marvel at both how much, and how little, has changed in the past 27 years.

There are eight pages dealing specifically with the fisheries, making particular mention of northern cod, and Canada’s dealings with other countries in fisheries management decisions.

There is, curiously, not a word, not a syllable, not one letter, expressing concerns over the “trade deals” in which Canada is supposed to have traded our fish for blah blah blah. (Feel free to furnish your own value for “blah”.)

Three months later, August 18, 1980, Peckford issues another document – there were a lot of documents, all bearing the new flag, flying out of Confederation Building in 1980 – this one, entitled “Towards the Twenty First Century – Together; The Position of the Government of Newfoundland Regarding Constitutional Change”.

Seven pages on fisheries. Aha! A perfect occasion to rail against the nefarious Canadian “trade deals” and lay out the case that things would be different if the province called the shots.

But nope. Page 15-16:

The fisheries should be an area of concurrent legislative jurisdiction with the federal government having paramount authority regarding matters of national and international concern and with the provinces having paramount authority regarding matters of provincial and local concern.

In specific terms, the federal government would, therefore, have paramount authority regarding international negotiations, surveillance, international enforcement, basic research, conservation and the determination of total allowable catches, inspection and quality standards for exports and licensing of foreign vessels.

Catch that? The Peckford government, in 1980, was expressly arguing for federal jursidction over setting allowable catches, licensing foreign vessels, and international negotiations. An extremely odd stance to take, if the federal government was trading Newfoundland fish quotas for Quebec Hyundai plants or wheat sales, no?

Two months pass. Then it’s time to issue yet another handsome document as a brand-building exercise; this time the pictorial cover shows the then-new provincial flag fluttering on a pole. It’s the famous “Managing All Our Resources” from October, 1980.

Pages 55 through 73 deal with the fishery. The document rails against “the rape [ugh - ed.] of the stock in recent years by foreign flag freezer trawlers”, “management decisions taken by the federal government”, “certain countries” who have “engaged in indiscriminate fishing on the nose and tail of the Grand Banks”, “exclusive federal control of the resource”, and “federal control over licensing policy”.

Curiously, there is no mention whatsoever of Canada trading quotas or allocations of fish to foreign countries in exchange for other stuff.

It is strange that every statement, from every claimant, alleging the existence of these “trade deals”, or offering up the supposed particulars thereof, dates from long after the time – the 60s, 70s, or 80s, depending on which version you hear – during which the “trade deals” were supposedly being made. There is an astonishing, and so far, total lack of contemporary evidence for these “trade deals”, and the only “evidence”on offer, much after the fact, is of dubious probative value at best.

Peckford, like the rest, now claims the existence of these “trade deals”. But he didn’t then.

WHY NOT?

And Brian, have you found your smoking-gun contemporary documents yet?

No? Well, keep looking.


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* Interestingly, this is one of the first provincial government publications to bear the new provincial flag, the act adopting which received Royal Assent on May 28th – the original “re-branding”. Prediction: the Pitcher Plant thingie won’t survive the transition to Premier Oram or Premier Skinner or Premier Kennedy or Premier Pottle.