I just watched a beautiful documentary comparing the paths of Iceland and Newfoundland.
Both are beautiful lands whose rugged coasts face the Atlantic Ocean, their industries having long relied primarily on fishing.
Here, their similarities end as Iceland declares its independence from Denmark in 1944, while Newfoundland declares itself part of Canada in 1949.
Where are they now?
Iceland is number 2 on the human development index, number 4 in terms of GDP in the world. They have one of the highest literacy rates in the world. They attract immigrants with their high living standards. They still have thriving fisheries.
Newfoundland, on the other hand, is the second poorest province in Canada. It's literacy rate is around 66% - that places them under at least 1/4 of African countries. The fishing industry has been long dead, after years of overfishing, and now all the young are moving to Ontario and Alberta.
It is a developing country within a developed country.
And nobody cares.
The onus may not be entirely on Ottawa's raping, I mean reaping of the profits of Newfoundland's fish. There are a lot of reasons why it may have gone like this. Apparently Newfoundland has had a society rife with social divides and turmoil, while Iceland has had a relatively homogeneous population.
But, something went wrong with Newfoundland - that could have been prevented. The entry into Canada was, and I dare say, a huge mistake.
Canada has helped out with equalization measures, giving to the poorer provinces. Most recently (2005) Newfoundland and New Brunswick have been given the profits from their off-shore oil-reserves, and are still demanding equalization... In perhaps an outrageous twist, those provinces are asking for equalization even if their gdp per capita turns higher than Ontario - the province that would be providing the payments!
And yet, this pouring in of funds will not be enough. The revival of the Eastern provinces will only take-off when they place due pressure on literacy and the start of their own industries...
---
After learning a number of things about this country from television and university courses...
I'm wondering - what the heck did we learn in middle school and high school?
Why were most of my days spent colouring in the provinces, learning their names and capitals - and not their actual experiences?
What happened from WWII and beyond is worthy of our attention - the plight of the Aboriginals, the seperatist movements of Quebeckers, and the sad decline of the East.
And instead, all I learned in Canadian history was 19th century Canada - about the Eaton's company, Sir John A McDonald, and Louis Riel. And though this is valuable - what relevance really does it have to today's world, except perhaps fueling our random trivia knowledge?
We've got to buckle down and teach children the contemporary issues - else they won't have a chance to care.
