Original: A former colony and dominion of the United Kingdom , Newfoundland and Labrador became the tenth province to enter the Canadian Confederation on March 31 , 1949 , as Newfoundland . On December 6 , 2001 , an amendment was made to the Constitution of Canada to change the province 's official name to Newfoundland and Labrador .
Simplified: The province of Newfoundland and Labrador was originally called Newfoundland and joined Canada in 1949 , becoming the newest province of Canada , after being a colony of the United Kingdom .