The Newfoundland Referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the political future of the Dominion of Newfoundland.
At the time Newfoundland was in debt and went through several delegations to determine whether the country would join Canada, remain under British rule or regain independence.
The voting for the referendums occurred on June 3 and July 22, 1948. The eventual result was for Newfoundland to enter Canadian Confederation.
The first referendum results were Responsible Government 44.5%, Confederation with Canada 41.1%, and Commission of Government 14.3%.
Since none of the choices had gained over 50%, a second referendum had to be held.
This time only the two most popular choices was to be considered.
This time Responsible Government was 47.7% and Confederation with Canada got 52.3% of the vote.
Reactions to Confederation were mixed.
Some thought through official documents and interviews that our Confederation with Canada was rigged.