Responsible Government League
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The Responsible Government League was a political movement in the history of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Newfoundland did not join with the rest of Canada when the confederation was first formed in 1867. It eventually achieved Dominion status in its own right, and developed a responsible government. However, in 1934, due to economic dislocations brought about by the Great Depression and the lingering effects of a large public debt, most of which was incurred during World War I, normal governmental processes broke down in Newfoundland and the responsible government was replaced by a Commission of Government. In effect, Newfoundland had reverted to the status of a colony under direct Crown rule.
This development was regarded by nearly all as a temporary emergency measure; however, as the Great Depression yielded to World War II, the emergency, and the emergency government, continued in place.
With the end of World War II in 1945, demands for change grew. In 1946, a "National Convention" was called. While almost all members advocated change, two strong factions soon developed. One called for confederation with Canada. The other wished only for the restoration of a responsible government for Newfoundland, and for it to revert to its previous status. This faction organized into the Responsible Government League, with Peter John Cashin as its chairman, to contest the 1949 referendum on Newfoundland's status.
The RGL tended to draw its support from rural areas, and from Roman Catholics not anxious to become part of predominantly-Protestant Canada. The League lost the referendum, as the majority of Newfoundlanders voted for union with Canada. However, rather than disbanding altogether as losing groups assembled to contest a referendum generally do, the RGL decided to join with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and form a provinicial unit of that party.