The Labrador Boundary Dispute

The Acts and Orders which trace the evolution of the Labrador boundary and its resolution by a decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1927, and two Acts concerning Labrador's place within the province.

Commission Appointing Thomas Graves, 1763

Thomas Graves was appointed Governor of Newfoundland in 1761, and served until 1763. By this Commission Labrador, Anticosti, and the Magdalene Islands were placed under the Government of Newfoundland.

Royal Proclamation, 1763

Placed the coast of Labrador, Anticosti, and the Magdalen Islands under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Newfoundland.

The Quebec Act, 1774

By which Labrador was re-annexed to the Province of Quebec.

The Newfoundland Act, 1809

Made further provisions for the administration of justice, and re-annexed part of Labrador to Newfoundland.

The British North America (Seignioral Rights) Act, 1825 (Extract)

Re-annexed the Lower North Shore and Anticosti to the province of Lower Canada, established the southern boundary of Labrador as the 52nd parallel, and re-confirmed the jurisdiction of Newfoundland over Labrador east and north of Blanc Sablon.

The Quebec Boundary Extension Act, 1898

Purported to extend the boundaries of Quebec to incorporate territory south of the the Grand (Hamilton, Churchill) River attributed to Newfoundland by the Acts of 1809 and 1825. To the extent that this Act attempts to add to Quebec territory that was not part of Canada, it must be considered ultra vires.

The Quebec Boundaries Extension Act, 1912

Purported to extend the boundaries of Quebec to incorporate territory attributed to Newfoundland by the Acts of 1809 and 1825. To the extent that this Act attempts to add to Quebec territory that was not part of Canada, it must be considered ultra vires.

The Labrador Boundary Decision, 1927

The 1927 decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which laid down the modern boundary between Labrador and Quebec. The issue was referred to the JCPC by Canada, Quebec, and Newfoundland.

Order in Council

Order of the King in Council approving the Report of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the Labrador Boundary Dispute, March 22, 1927.

The National Convention (Labrador) Act, 1946

Amended the National Convention Act to provide for the election, rather than the appointment, of a delegate to represent Labrador--the first time that Labradorians were ever granted the franchise.

The Labrador Act, 1964

A poorly-drafted provincial statute which attempts to force the recognition of Labrador as part of the province in official documents. It does not, as is often thought, officially change the name of the province to 'Newfoundland and Labrador'.

Henri Dorion on the Labrador Boundary, 1991

Henri Dorion chaired a Quebec government commission in the late 1960s and early 1970s that concluded there was no legal recourse by which Quebec could re-open the Labrador boundary issue. In this testimony before a Quebec National Assembly committee, Mr. Dorion debunks the nationalist myths concerning the boundary issue.
Official version (en français) | Unofficial English translation

Henri Brun on the Labrador Boundary, 1991

Henri Brun is a noted Quebec constitutional scholar, and has written on the subject of Quebec territorial issues. In this testimony before a Quebec National Assembly committee, Mr. Brun states that the position taken by Newfoundland in the Labrador boundary dispute was correct, and that Quebec has no legal recourse in the matter.
Original French text | Unofficial English translation (to appear)

Excerpt from the 1996 Speech from the Throne

An excerpt from the Throne Speech of March 20th, 1996, in which the newly-elected provincial government of Premier Tobin commmitted itself to changing the official name of the province to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment, 1999

A Resolution by the Newfoundland House of Assembly to amend the Terms of Union to officially change the name of the Province to "Newfoundland and Labrador", unanimously passed April 29, 1999. It has not yet been passed by the Senate or House of Commons, or been proclaimed by the Governor General.