JOURNAL OFFERS INFORMATIVE READS

The latest edition of the journal Newfoundland And Labrador Studies makes for some interesting reads.

Newfoundland and Labrador Studies was founded in 1985. It is a bi-annual, interdisciplinary journal devoted to publishing original essays, in either English or French, about the society and culture of Newfoundland and Labrador, past and present.

In the late 80’s, I was working as a broadcast journalist when the “Roads-for-Rails” was signed between the government’s of Brian Mulroney and Brian Peckford. In the 90’s I was working with the provincial government when Premier Tobin signed a deal with the Chretien Government to take over a number of coastal ferries.   

Jeffrey F. Collins has written an article entitled Executive Federalism and the Terms of Union:  A New Approach to Understanding the "Roads-for-Rails" and the "Roads-for-Boats" Agreements.

Deregulation and deficit cutting led to a process where the federal government divested of federal constitutional commitments through direct negotiations with the province. 

A couple of other articles that perked my interest were by Melvin Baker. The first, William Ford Coaker, the Formative Years, 1871-1908 offers readers a thorough unique insight into the evolution of Coaker’s social activism leading to his crusade for the ill-treated fisherman of the country.

The article relates to the 1921 Report of the Commission on the Prohibition Plebiscite Act.

For information about subscriptions contact the Managing Editor at nlstudies@mun.ca or Newfoundland and Labrador Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7.