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Newfoundland and Labrador–Quebec border
Border between two Canadian provinces / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The border between the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the province of Quebec is the longest interprovincial border in Canada. It stretches for more than 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) on land, and, according to both provincial governments, also contains a maritime part.[lower-alpha 1] Starting from the north, the border follows the Laurentian Divide (the divide between the drainage basin of the Atlantic Ocean and of the Arctic Ocean) on the Labrador Peninsula for the majority of the border's length, then follows the divide between the Côte-Nord-Gaspé and Newfoundland-Labrador drainage basins[1] as far as Brûlé Lake, after which it goes along the Romaine River downstream to the 52nd parallel,[2] which it follows east to its southeastern terminus at Blanc-Sablon.
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The division between Labrador and Quebec has changed over time. Labrador's coast has been recognized as part of Newfoundland since 1763 (except from 1774 to 1809), but the legal meaning of the word "coast" came to be disputed. A border dispute erupted in 1902 over the right to use natural resources in the Churchill River basin between the then dominions of Canada and Newfoundland. After lengthy delays, the case came before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, which in March 1927 delivered a win for Newfoundland and granted it the disputed land. The decision was further recognized by the governments of Canada and of Newfoundland when the latter joined Confederation in 1949 as the tenth province of Canada. The Privy Council described the line in general terms but it was never demarcated on the ground.
The government of Quebec disputes part of the boundary. Officials from this province argue and publish maps to the effect that the area of Labrador between the drainage basin divide and the 52nd parallel belongs to Quebec. At various times, the province's politicians alleged that the arbitration procedure was flawed and that the judges could be biased, thus Newfoundland was awarded more territories than it specifically requested (ultra petita).[3] Legal scholars, however, are unconvinced by the accusations of bias and have suggested that only political negotiations might resolve the ultra petita issue. The uncertain, winding border also made resource exploitation difficult, and separated mining and First Nations communities on either side of the border.[4]
The maritime border's existence (and its delineation) is contested between the federal government and the provinces. According to Quebec, the Gulf of St. Lawrence is split equally between Quebec and Newfoundland; the latter says that there is some aquatic border but also argues that the 1964 agreement, which Quebec relies on and which was found to be non-binding in an arbitration case in 2001, was not ratified. Canada, in contrast, says that the waters belong to the federal government and therefore the boundary does not exist. In this respect, the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of Canada supports the position of the federal government. This necessitates negotiation over the extent of exploitation of the natural resources and sharing of profits, in particular in relation to the Old Harry oil field.