NEWFOUNDLAND, FLAG OF

Canadian provincial flag consisting of a white field (background) bearing four blue triangles at the hoist, two longer white triangles outlined in red, and a stylized gold-and-red arrow pointing toward the fly end. English fishermen worked off the shores of Newfoundland from the late 16th century, and a naval governor was appointed for the area in 1729. In the 1840s an unofficial local flag was developed with stripes of green, white, and pink to symbolize the Irish, Scots, and English. The colony also had several ensigns with badges, similar to those used in other British colonies. Newfoundland maintained very close links with Great Britain and remained separate from Canada until 1949. It made the Union Jack its national flag on May 15, 1931. The current provincial flag bears some similarity to the Union Jack. According to the designer, the renowned Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt, its white is for snow and ice, blue for the sea, red for human effort, and yellow for self-confidence. The blue areas suggest the importance of British heritage, while red and yellow in the shape of a golden arrow stand for the future. The red-bordered white triangles refer to the two main parts of the provincethe island of Newfoundland and the mainland territory of Labrador. Other symbols reflected in the abstract design include a trident to emphasize dependence on the sea, native Indian ornamentation, a maple leaf, and the Christian cross. Despite extensive criticism of the design, the new flag was officially adopted in May 1980, and it was hoisted for the first time on June 24, 1980. Whitney Smith History The official discoverer of Newfoundland was the Genoese-Venetian navigator Giovanni Caboto, better known to history as John Cabot, who reached the island in 1497 while sailing under the English flag. The Grand Banks doubtless had been known to fishermen earlier, but Cabot's enthusiastic reports opened the way for international rivalries over the region. Early in the 16th century, English, French, Basque, and Portuguese fishermen were contesting for catches; by 1600 England and France were the chief rivals for Newfoundland. Early restrictions on settlement Several attempts made at colonization during the 17th century met the hostility of the English fishermen and, after 1634, of the English crown. In 1699 Parliament prohibited settlement of the island except as necessary to maintain the cod fishery. This remained the basic governing directive for Newfoundland for more than 150 years, during which time the island became virtually a private fiefdom ruled by commercial fishing interests. The rationale for this policy was twofold. First, under the prevailing concepts of international trade, the fishing of the Grand Banks remained a mother-country industry rather than that of a colony, with definite economic advantages accruing to England. Second, the region was looked upon as a nursery for seamen, a training ground for the crews that were to maintain England's maritime superiority into the distant future. This latter idea also led the French in 1662 to found Placentia on the southeast coast as a base of operations. From Placentia the French destroyed every English settlement on the island in actions that took place in 1696, 1705, and 1708. Treaties in 1713, 1763, and 1783, the latter marking the armistice ending the American Revolution, recognized British sovereignty but granted French fishermen the right to land and dry their catches along portions of the northern and western coasts. This French shore problem remained a thorny one for the islanders until 1904. During the 17th and 18th centuries the island's population increased despite repressive legislation, the denial of property rights and social services, and a particularly vicious judicial system managed by the captains of fishing vessels. Britain found it necessary to appoint a naval governor in 1729 and to establish a proper judicial system in 1792. Both governor and court remained only for the summer fishing season, however, and not until 1824, with the appointment of a resident governor and council, was a settled colony finally acknowledged. In 1832 local agitation led to the addition of a popularly elected assembly. In 1855 the island was granted full responsible government after a campaign that reignited a bitter underlying sectarianism. As the hold of the transient fishermen over the island's life weakened toward the end of the 18th century, many of the prosperous fishermen settled in as merchants, and government officeholders increased in number. Large groups of labourers were imported for the cod fishery, 11,000 coming in the peak year of 181415 alone. These immigrants, mainly Irish Catholics, continued to stand for the rights of fishermen and servants against the new and largely Protestant middle class, creating a sectarian spirit that persisted in Newfoundland's political life well into the 20th century.