Document Information

Date: 1969-02-06
By: Newfoundland
Citation: Federal Provincial Constitutional Conference, Propositions Submitted by the Province of Newfoundland (Ottawa: 10-12 February 1969).
Other formats: Click here to view the original document (PDF).

FEDERAL PROVINCIAL CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
FEBRUARY 1969
PROPOSITIONS SUBMITTED BY
THE PROVINCE OF NEWFOUNDLAND
FOR RELEASE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1969 AT 2 p.m.
EASTERN STANDARD TIME

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 1
Subject: Basic Principles

THE CONSTITUTION SHALL DECLARE CANADA TO
BE A SOVEREIGN NATION COMPRISING TBS
PROVINCES AND TWO TERRITORIES (WITH
BOUNDARIES AS PRESENTLY DEFINED) WHICH
SHALL OPERATE AS A DEMOCRACY UNDER A
FEDERAL AND PARLIAHENTARY SYSTEM OF
GOVERNMENT AND SHALL RECOGNIZE THE
QUEEN AS HEAD OF STATE AND HAIETAIH
EXISTING TIES WITH THE BRITISH
COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS.

Presented by: Government of Newfoundland
Date: 25 September 1968

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 2
Subject: Basic principles

THE CONSTITUTION SHALL PROVIDE FOR TEE
ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OE A STRONG
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT REPRESENTING ALL OE
THE PEOPLE OE CANADA AND SHALL RECOGNIZE
THE PRINACY OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND IN ALL
NEGOTIATIONS INVOLVING FOREIGN GOVERN~
MENTS.

Preeented by: Government of Newfoundland
Date: 25 September 1968

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 3
Subject: Basic principles

THE CONSTITUTION SHALL VEST IE THE
CEETRAL GOVERNMENT ALL JURISDICTIONS,
POWERS AND AUTHORITY NECESSARY TO
ACHIEVE NATIONAL STRENGTH AED UNITY
AND TO INELEHENT POLICIES DESIGEED
TO DEVELOP THE ECONOMY AND WELFARE
OE THE NATION AS A WHOLE OR OE ANY
PART OE THE NATION.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Date 25 September 1968

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 5
Subject: Basic principles
THE CONSTITUTION SHALL CONTAIN APRROERIATE
PROVISION TO RERNIT THE ALTERATION OE ANY
PROVINCIAL BOUNDARIES OR THE FORMATION OE
NEW PROVINCES IN CASES WHERE IT IS DEENED TO
BE IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST TO DO SO BUT
IT SHALL BE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN TEE
CONSTITUTION THAT NO EXISTING PROVINCIAL
BOUNDARY SHALL BE AMENDED TO ANY EXTENT
WITHOUT TEE PRIOR CONSENT AND NUTUAL
AGREENENT OE ALL OE THE PROVINCES WHOSE
BOUNDARIES ARE INNEDIATELY AFFECTED AND OE
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Date 25 September 1968

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 6
Subject: Basic Principles
THE CONSTITUTION SHALL PROVIDE THAT ALL
PROVINCES SHALL BE EQUAL IN STATUS,
JURISDICTIONS AND POWERS AND THAT NO
PROVINCE SHALL ENJOY SPECIAL RIGHTS OR
PRIVILEGES VIS-A-VIS OTHER PROVINCES.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Gate: 25 September 1968

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 7
Subject: Basic Principles
THE CONSTITUTION SHALL RECOGNIZE
THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH AS THE
FOUNDING RACES OF CANADA AND SHALL
CONTAIN THE NECESSARY PROVISIONS
TO ENSURE THAT CITIZENS OF FRENCH
DESCENT RESIDING IN CANADA OUTSIDE
QUEBEC SHALL ENJOY THE SAHE RIGHTS
WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OE THE
FRENCH LANGUAGE AND THE PRESERVATION
OE THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE AS
CITIZENS OE ENGLISH DESCENT ENJOY
IN QUEBEC WITH REGARD TO THEIR
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Date: 25 September 1968

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 8
Subject: Basic Principles
THE CONSTITUTION SHALL GIVE
RECOGNITION TO TE EXISTENCE
OE SERIOUS REGIONAL DISPARITIES
THROUGHOUT CANADA IN ECONOMIC
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, EHPLOYHENT
OPPORTUNITIES AND LEVELS OE PUBLIC
SERVICES AND SHALL DECLARE THE NEED
TO ELININATE SUCH DISPARITIES AND
THE RIGHT OE ALL CANADIANS TO ENJOY,
AS NEARLY AS HAY BE, EQUALITY OE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LIVING STANDARDS
AND PUBLIC SERVICES WITHOUT THE
NECESSITY OE ANY PROVINCE, IN ITS
EFFORTS TO RAISE THESE STANDARDS,
AND LEVELS, HAVING TO RESORT TO
TAXATION WHICH INPOSES AN UNEQUAL
BURDEN UPON ITS CITIZENS BEARING
IN NIND THEIR CAPACITY TO PAY.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Date: 25 September 1968

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 9
Subject: Fundamental Rights
THE CONSTITUTION SHALL CONTAIN A
CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND
FREEDOMS EMBRACING, INTER ALIA,
POLITICAL, LEGAL, EGALITARIAN AND
LINGUISTIC RIGHTS, FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION, FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE
AND WORSHIP, FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY
AND ASSOCIATION, THE EXERCISE OF
INDIVIDUAL FRANCHISE, THE SECURITY
OF THE PERSOR ANB THE PROTECTIOR
OF PROPERTY.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Date: 25 September 1968

_ 19 –
CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 10
Subject: Official Languages
THE CONSTITUTION SHALL CONTAIN
PROVISION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF
AND SHALL GIVE EFFECT TO THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OE THE ROYAL
COMMISSION ON BILINGUALISH AND
BICULTURALISH RELATING TO THE USE
OE THE FRENCH LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT
CANADA.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Date: 25 September 1968

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 11
Subject: Regional Disparities
THE CONSTITUTION SHALL VEST POWERS IN
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE SUCH
SPECIAL MEASURES, IN CONSULTATION WITH
THE PROVINCES, AS MAY BE NECESSARY FROM
TIME TO TIME TO COMBAT AND ELIMINATE
REGIONAL DISPARITIES THROUGHOUT CANADA;
THESE MEASURES TO BE EITHER OE GENERAL
APPLICATION OR, IE THE NEED EXISTS,
DESIGNED FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OE
DEALING WITH PROBLEMS EXISTING IN
INDIVIDUAL PROVINCES AND THE CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT SHALL NOT BE LIMITED OR CON-
FINED BY THE CONSTITUTION WITH RESPECT
TO THE NATURE AND EXTENT OE THE ACTION
WHICH IT MAY TAKE TO ASSIST IN SOLVING
THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM IN ANY PARTICULAR
AREA OR AREAS.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Date: 25 September 1968

-12-
CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
Continuing Committee of Officials
PROPOSITION NO. 12
Subject: Distribution of Powers
THE CONSTITUTION SHALL MAKE PROVISION FOR
A REALISTIC DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS BETWEEN
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND PROVINCIAL
GOVERNMENTS BEARING IN MIND THE EXISTING
DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS AS DETERNINED BY
THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT AND COURT
DECISIONS, THE CHANGING CONDITIONS WHICH
HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN CANADA SINCE TEE
PRESENT DISTRIBUTION WAS ORGINALLY
DETERMINED AND THE PROBLEMS WHICH THESE
CHANGES HAVE CREATED BOTH FOR THE CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNEENTS.
THE PRINCIPLE OF SETTING BOTH “EXCLUSIVE”
JURISDICTION IN CERTAIN SPECIFIED FIELDS AND
“SHARED” JURISDICTION IN OTHERS SHALL BE
CONTINUED BUT THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE SHALL BE
TO EFFECT A DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS WHICH WILL
FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OE THE GREATEST
POSSIBLE STRENGTH AND UNITY FOR CANADA AS
A WHOLE AND THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE STANDARD OR
PROSPERITY AND WELL-BEING FOR ALL CANADIANS.
Presented by: The Government of Newfoundland
Date: 25 September 1968