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PREMIER TOBIN'S ADDRESS 
REFERENDUM NIGHT
SEPTEMBER 2, 1997


Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen:

On July 31, I informed the people of this province that government was prepared to take decisive and swift action to bring about a new education system for our province, to end the confusion and the chaos that had ripped our education system. I assured you, the people of the province, that government had the will to act...and even had the desire to act...but what we required was the authority to act.

And that authority...that permission to seek fundamental change, constitutional change, comes not from the legislature behind me, or from political parties, but can only come from you, the people of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I announced a referendum for September 2nd, today, to seek direction on this issue that has been much debated in this province over the last number of years. And tonight, with the results nearly complete, you have given a clear, strong mandate with more than 70 per cent of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador voting yes in today=s referendum. This is a clear and strong mandate almost without precedent in the history of referenda in Canada.

Indeed Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation with a yes vote of 52 per cent; the Northwest Territories were divided, and the new region Nunavut created with a vote of 54 per cent; Prince Edward Island in a referendum decided to end its island status or pure island status with a fixed link with a vote of 59 per cent; the conscription plebiscite of 1942 was resolved with a yes vote of 63 per cent; and the prohibition debate, all the way back in 1898 was decided with a yes vote of 51.3 per cent. So I think we see if we examine the history of referenda, that indeed we are witnessing a clear, strong and indeed an unusual degree of consensus in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador today, and I believe this is good.

Your vote today told us a number of things. You told us to end the separation of our children, to end denominational education, to eliminate the old Term 17, and to create a single new school system where all of our children, regardless of their religion can attend the same schools.

You also voted for provision of religious education and observances in the new school system and that means an opportunity for religious education for all of our students...not on a denominational basis, but on the basis of approved curriculum common to all of our children. And there will be provision as well, constitutionally guaranteed provision, for religious observances.

Beginning next September, after a constitutional amendment has passed in both the Legislature and the House of Commons, there will be no unidenominational schools, no interdenominational schools, no Integrated schools... no Catholic, no Pentecostal schools ...just one single school system for all of our children.

Parents, not the churches, will have the ultimate right and responsibility to direct their children's education.

We will hire our teachers because they are competent, caring and committed, not because of any religious consideration.

Parents and the general public will elect the members of the legislature that will have the constitutional responsibility for education. Parents and the public will elect the school boards that would make local decisions, on the education system. Unelected and unaccountable church representatives would have no special role and no special place in the new school system.

Tonight's vote has given government the clear result that we needed in order to bring about a new vision for the education system of Newfoundland and Labrador, and we will move quickly now to put the mandate you have given us into place.

A little earlier this evening I've spoke with the Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable Loyola Sullivan, spoken as well with Mr. Jack Harris, the Leader of the New Democratic Party, and I've spoken with the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the Honourable Lloyd Snow. We've agreed that the Legislature will resume sitting on Thursday of this week and the debate on the new resolution to give life to this term which you mandated, the new Term 17 that you have mandated tonight, will get underway on Thursday. A vote may be taken as early as Friday of this week.

The Government will then refer the vote to Ottawa in a timely fashion so that it may be considered when Parliament returns on September 22nd.... considered as soon as is possible and reasonable. Government will work diligently to ensure the process moves along as swiftly as possible. It is my expectation that Parliament will deal with our request in a timely and responsible fashion so that our single new school system can be in place in time for the next school year, next September of 1998.

On another matter, I think that many of us are aware school board elections are expected to be held on September 30, in just a few weeks time. Under the current system in which we are operating, at least until the constitutional amendment is achieved, the Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and Integrated classes of people have equal rights to either elect representatives on denominational grounds in this school board election, or if they choose they can elect their representatives at large, without any reference to denominational rights or religion.

In light of the decision, the very clear and strong decision of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador tonight to move away from a denominationally based system, I have written this evening all of the Church leaders, asking them to allow the people of the province to elect School Board members without reference to any religious affiliation in the School Board elections to be conducted on September 30th, in just a few weeks. If such a decision is granted by the Church leadership then it won't be necessary to re-elect the School Boards at great expense again next year under the new system, as our constitutional amendment is achieved. For the moment we continue to need the cooperation of the Churches for the School Board election on September 30th. With nominations for candidates closing on Friday of this week, I am asking for generous and speedy consideration of the request I am making tonight on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

As Premier of the province, I am also appealing, this evening, to all parties in this province, especially the leaders and members of the churches and the groups and organizations that lead the No campaign, to focus on the future and the important job of creating the best education system that we and Newfoundland and Labrador can afford to build for our children. Together, all of us should make a commitment to move on with education reform.

I acknowledge tonight that there are many in this province who did not vote Yes in today's referendum... I want to assure you tonight that Government respects fully your right to exercise a vote to the contrary and respects fully your deeply felt feelings about the denominational system, and your feelings about our education system in Newfoundland and Labrador. But I want to ask you, in the interest of all of Newfoundland and Labrador and no less in the interest of our children, to accept tonight's results and to work with all of our neighbours, to work with the whole community in building a single new school system.

Tonight is not about winning. It is not about losing. It should never be described in those terms. Tonight is only about charting a new course... about setting a new direction for our education system and setting a new direction for Newfoundland and Labrador. This is not a time to analyze for very long the result of the campaign or how or why, it's a time I believe to accept a clear consensus when it's expressed. It's a time to achieve what the people of the province have asked us to do for the benefit of the children of Newfoundland and Labrador.

We must begin to focus on educational opportunities for our children. We have focused for far too long on the issues of governance, power, and of control. It is time to concentrate our energy, our imagination and our commitment on our children, on their education: a quality education, and to give them, in so doing, our very best.

In announcing this referendum, I observed... and certainly it's been the Tobin Family experience as we've moved our home over these last 20 years of married life from neighbourhood to neighbourhood to neighbourhood... I observed at the beginning of the campaign that it's wonderful to reflect on how often we've come to know our neighbours better because our children brought us together.

I ask tonight , that same spirit, looking across the fence sometimes or across the property line at our neighbour, touch on every decision that we make. This Newfoundland and Labrador is known across this country for its great sense of warmth of generosity and of tolerance. Tonight let us all be tolerant of each other, let us all accept together the democratic result, and let us all stretch out our hands, the great sense of generosity, to our fellow citizens whether we voted Yes or we voted No.

As Premier of the province I call upon us all to work together to build, and to go on building, the new Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you very much.


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