Royal Commission
On the twenty-fifth of November, 2002, the Royal Commission on Strengthening Newfoundland and Labrador's Place in Confederation met with eight students of Discovery Collegiate in Bonavista. Shane Goodland, Matthew Dixon, (both from the town of Elliston), Megan Duffett, Robyn Donovan, (both from Catalina), Shane Synard, Josh Clarke, Rachel Abbott, and Laura Mouland (all from Bonavista) attended the meeting. Fifty minutes from 1:40 to 2:30 were aimed at discussing what was on our minds and the mind of the commissioners about Newfoundland and Labrador.
Tourism was one of the topics to arise in the conversation between the commissioners and the students of Discovery Collegiate. Some of the students brought up how Bonavista acts as a host to many tourists throughout Canada and the rest of the world. We spoke about how and why tourists seemed to be drawn to our island, and particularly our part of the province. It is especially during the summer months that the boom of tourism is felt. We spoke about the great things this province had to offer like serenity, beauty, hospitality and kindness. We noticed that the landscape seemed to be a large magnet for visitors, as did our historical sites, and fishing communities.
A large amount of our discussion was devoted to how we feel about our province. We felt many symbols like the fish, a rock, water, our music and a moose symbolizes the uniqueness and the strong feelings we have towards Newfoundland. We felt that the fish of course was a very strong symbol, basically representing who we are and why people populated our province years ago. We thought that the rock would symbolize our connection with Newfoundland. Since Newfoundland is often called ‘the rock', a simple rock would easily show our love of the island. We considered water a symbol because we are an island and we greatly depend on the water for our livelihood. Our music is quite different from the main stream pop culture, therefore we strongly saw it as a symbol showing our unique creativity and our connection with the past and our ancestors.
When asked the question, "What would you consider yourself first, a Newfoundlander or Canadian?" Every student sitting around the table spoke with proudness, "Newfoundlander."
We all seemed to agree that Newfoundlanders feel a strong connection to Newfoundland. No matter how many Newfoundlanders leave their home province in search of a new life, they all share the same feelings, the feelings of yearning to be home. We all agreed that we do feel the pressure to leave the island, but of course, not one of us wanted to let go of our lovely island. Every Newfoundlander has that strong since of roots towards Newfoundland.
Unemployment and out-migration were also discussed in detail. Some students told stories about loved ones who moved away in search of employment. As others may not have told stories, they showed it was evident that they were aware of the very same thing. We spoke about how Bonavista now has barely anything to offer the younger generation and how we felt it was necessary to go elsewhere. When asked the question, "Who thinks that they will stay in Newfoundland to find employment after graduation?", only two hands were raised, but the two students quickly added that of course there was a possibility of them leaving. Every student said that they would love to stay in Newfoundland but just don't see it being possible.