Document generated on 09/27/2021 5:23 a.m. Urban History Review Revue d'histoire urbaine “A Future in the Past”? Tourism Development, Outport Archaeology, and the Politics of Deindustrialization in Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1990s James Overton The Politics and Memory of Deindustrialization in Canada Article abstract Volume 35, Number 2, Spring 2007 The fishing industry crisis of the 1990s saw the already precarious economic base of the many towns and small communities further eroded in URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1015922ar Newfoundland and Labrador. The situation was made worse by both federal DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1015922ar and provincial pursuit of programs of economic liberalization that sought to limit the role of the state in economic and social affairs. See table of contents As the effects of the crisis were felt, and established state supports were weakened, tourism was embraced by a growing body of local development and heritage organizations as a way of restoring the shattered economic base of many communities. Limited, short-term funding for some tourism-related Publisher(s) projects was provided mostly from government programs, largely as a means Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine of politically managing the structural adjustment that was being pursued. This paper examines the role of the state policy in deindustrialization. After ISSN discussing the crisis in Newfoundland and Labrador and the promotion of community development in response to that crisis, some of the problems 0703-0428 (print) associated with tourism development and “outport archaeologyn” are outlined. 1918-5138 (digital) Focusing on sustainability and survival, an assessment is made of the role of tourism in dealing with crisis in the once-fishing-dependent communities of Explore this journal Newfoundland and Labrador. Cite this article Overton, J. (2007). “A Future in the Past”? Tourism Development, Outport Archaeology, and the Politics of Deindustrialization in Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1990s. Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine, 35(2), 60–74. https://doi.org/10.7202/1015922ar All Rights Reserved © Urban History Review / Revue d'histoire urbaine, 2007 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ "A Future in the Past"? Tourism Development, Outport Archaeology, and the Politics of Deindustrialization in Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1990s James Overton Abstract de la crise économique en Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador et le The fishing industry crisis of the 1990s saw the already pre• développement communautaire qui fut favorisé suite à carious economic base of the many towns and small com• cette crise, un aperçu de quelques problèmes associés au munities further eroded in Newfoundland and Labrador. développement du tourisme et à l'archéologie des collecti• The situation was made worse by both federal and provin• vités isolées sera présenté. Ensuite, le rôle joué par l'indus• cial pursuit of programs of economic liberalization that trie du tourisme dans la crise des communautés de Terre- sought to limit the role of the state in economic and social Neuve-et-Labrador, qui étaient auparavant dépendantes de affairs. l'industrie de la pêche, est évalué dans l'axe de lapérrenité et de la survie. As the effects of the crisis were felt, and established state supports were weakened, tourism was embraced by a In the 1990s in Newfoundland and Labrador, an already ailing growing body of local development and heritage organiza• fishing industry was devastated by the closure of ground fisher• tions as a way of restoring the shattered economic base of ies, starting with the first moratorium on northern cod announced many communities. Limited, short-term funding for some in 1992, which displaced over thirty thousand people from the tourism-related projects was provided mostly from govern• industry in the province and made the abandoned fish plant a ment programs, largely as a means of politically managing feature of the landscape.1 the structural adjustment that was being pursued. The political climate in which people in Newfoundland faced the This paper examines the role of the state policy in deindus• failure of the fishing industry was hostile. The policies of both trialization. After discussing the crisis in Newfoundland federal and provincial governments, particularly the shift towards and Labrador and the promotion of community develop• neo-liberalism, contributed to the crisis of the 1990s. Narrowing ment in response to that crisis, some of the problems as• the public domain and downsizing the state was accompanied sociated with tourism development and "outport archaeol• by a strong populist thrust that aimed to make individuals and ogyn are outlined. Focusing on sustainability and survival, communities more responsible for providing for themselves. an assessment is made of the role of tourism in dealing The call was for self-reliance and self-help as a new localism in with crisis in the once-fishing-dependent communities of social and economic development policy was encouraged. The Newfoundland and Labrador. promotion of a "community" approach to social and economic development policy was part of an attempt to shift responsibility Résumé for dealing with the crisis away from the federal and provincial Déjà précaire, l'économie de base de nombreuses villes et governments. petites communautés de la province canadienne de Terre- One response to the crisis was a growing interest in an alterna• Neuve-et-Labrador s'est détériorée davantage pendant la tive economic base for many communities, particularly those crise de Vindustrie de pêche des années 1990. La situation that had been heavily dependent on fishing, and tourism was s'est aggravée lorsque les gouvernements fédéral et pro• presented as a new industry with great potential. There is no vincial ont mis en œuvre des programmes de libéralisation doubt that interest in archaeology and heritage on the part économique ayant comme objectif de limiter le rôle de l'état of people in rural communities was stimulated by economic dans les domaines économiques et sociaux. concerns. Pendant que les effets de la crise se faisaient sentir et que This paper examines deindustrialization through discussion l'aide provenant de l'état diminuait, le tourisme est de• of sustainability and survival in Newfoundland and Labrador, venu, pour un nombre augmentant de groupes locaux de focusing particularly on the province's rural areas—generally développement et d'organismes de conservation du patri• taken to be that part of the province outside the capital city moine, un moyen de restaurer l'économie de base boule• of St. John's. In the context of this paper, then, "rural" applies versée de plusieurs communautés. Du financement limité to smaller urban places—coastal fishing towns and villages et à court-terme pour quelques projets reliés au domaine that were formerly dependent on fishing. The focus of the du tourisme provenait en grande partie d'un ensemble de paper is thus on the kinds of resource-dependent communi• programmes gouvernementaux employés principalement ties that have long been the focus of attention in this journal. comme moyen de diriger politiquement l'ajustement struc• Concentrating on the role of state policy in deindustrialization, turel recherché. the paper discusses the crisis in Newfoundland and Labrador L'article qui suit examine le rôle de la politique de l'état that developed in the 1990s and the promotion of tourism as face à la désindustrialisation. Après avoir abordé le sujet a response to it. More particularly, questions are posed about 60 Urban History Review /Revue d'histoire urbaine Vol XXXV, No. 2 (Spring 2007printemps) "A Future in the Past"? the use of community archaeology and heritage projects as When Premier Clyde Wells announced in 1994 his intention to development tools. "make profit a holy word" in Newfoundland, he was making clear his government's commitment to what Jim Stanford has termed Crisis "a business-centred model of development."10 The economic By the end of the 1990s over half the 221 fish plants active a recovery strategy that was developed in the early 1990s—and, decade earlier in Newfoundland and Labrador had been closed.2 with some minor modifications, is being continued—involved a Employment in fish processing, equivalent to 13,500 full-time program of privatization, deregulation, spending cuts, and re• jobs in the late 1980s, had fallen to less than half by 2000. And form of social policy, especially income support and education. the situation has not stabilized. The fishing industry continues in A strong thrust in this strategy has been an attempt to restructure a state of uncertainty resulting in significant job loses and further labour relations in order to strengthen the hand of employers. fish plant closures.3 From the start it was clear that both federal Some people have benefited from liberalization, but many have and provincial governments viewed the fishing crisis as an oppor• been harmed, particularly those who are most dependent on tunity to pursue policies that would