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As a proud Acadian, I could not let this story pass without notice. The British Crown might finally recognize the pain and the suffering which it inflicted upon my family and upon thousands of others. Here's to the continued strength of the Acadian community in Canada and abroad!
Canada aims to recognize Acadians' ordeal at last
By KIM LUNMAN
Thursday, December 4, 2003 - Page A1
OTTAWA -- More than three centuries ago, Euclide Chiasson's ancestors boarded a ship in France and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to start a new life in the New World, in what is now known as Prince Edward Island.
But his francophone forefathers were caught between feuding French and British colonies, and their descendants were forced to hide from British officials in the mid-1700s so they would not be deported.
Today, Mr. Chiasson of New Brunswick is among thousands of Acadians in the Maritimes celebrating a decision by Ottawa to endorse a royal proclamation acknowledging the wrongs done to their ancestors during those expulsions.
The statement will be a formal recognition of the historical events, rather than an apology or a legal settlement. The government will also establish an annual day honouring the Acadians.
"I was thinking of my grandfather today, and he would be very proud," said Mr. Chiasson, 60.
"It's wonderful. It's not only Acadian history. It's Canadian history. There are still people who downplay it and deny it."
Mr. Chiasson is head of the Société Nationale des Acadiens, which represents 300,000 Acadians in the four Atlantic provinces.
The Acadian society wrote to the Queen several months ago, asking the Crown to consider an acknowledgment of the expulsions, which began in 1755 and ended around 1763. Earlier efforts to seek a royal apology were dropped.
Buckingham Palace responded by saying the Queen would need to consult with Canadian ministers, and the cabinet accepted the idea.
"The proposal was put to the cabinet, and we understand it was accepted unanimously," Mr. Chiasson said.
"We have to thank [cabinet ministers] Sheila Copps and Stéphane Dion, who took leadership on this and pushed it through.".
Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson is to sign the proclamation next week, he said.
The year 2005 with be the 250th anniversary of the expulsions, and it is hoped there will be a royal visit to the Maritimes that year, Mr. Chiasson said.
Mr. Dion said the proclamation is simply a matter of formally recognizing Acadians in Canada's history. "They wanted to be sure that this would be reported in museums and textbooks for history, and I think it's a valid point. We will help keep a sense of their history."
It's believed that 11,000 Acadians were deported from what is now the Maritimes from 1755 to 1763.
Some were sent to France and other parts of the world, but most were scattered throughout the American colonies. It's estimated that 3,000 others hid in the region's forests and in Quebec. Others sailed south to Louisiana where, over the centuries, their culture changed.
There are now about 245,000 francophones, most of them Acadians, in New Brunswick, with 34,000 in Nova Scotia and 5,500 in Prince Edward Island.
Mr. Chiasson's ancestors hid during the deportation, settling in Cheticamp, N.S., when the expulsion ended in the mid-1760s with a peace treaty between France and Britain.
Fisheries Minister Robert Thibault, an Acadian Nova Scotia MP, said yesterday that the formal recognition does notinclude financial redress. "The issue is not one of settlement. The issue is simply one of recognizing the historical facts."
Mr. Chiasson said that in addition to acknowledging the expulsions as part of Canadian history, a commemorative day will be set aside -- July 28.
"We finally have a document that recognizes the events surrounding that very sad part of our history," Mr. Chiasson said. "People are always revising history and undermining certain events. The fact that it is now recognized in this proclamation makes it a reality."
Mr. Thibault said the proclamation will help future generations of Acadians move forward while honouring their past.
"What I think is important for most Acadians is that we are forward-looking people. We are very happy within our place in Canada. . . . We don't dwell in the past, but we recognize and remember what our forefathers went through."
© 2003 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
-----------------------
Canada aims to recognize Acadians' ordeal at last
By KIM LUNMAN
Thursday, December 4, 2003 - Page A1
OTTAWA -- More than three centuries ago, Euclide Chiasson's ancestors boarded a ship in France and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to start a new life in the New World, in what is now known as Prince Edward Island.
But his francophone forefathers were caught between feuding French and British colonies, and their descendants were forced to hide from British officials in the mid-1700s so they would not be deported.
Today, Mr. Chiasson of New Brunswick is among thousands of Acadians in the Maritimes celebrating a decision by Ottawa to endorse a royal proclamation acknowledging the wrongs done to their ancestors during those expulsions.
The statement will be a formal recognition of the historical events, rather than an apology or a legal settlement. The government will also establish an annual day honouring the Acadians.
"I was thinking of my grandfather today, and he would be very proud," said Mr. Chiasson, 60.
"It's wonderful. It's not only Acadian history. It's Canadian history. There are still people who downplay it and deny it."
Mr. Chiasson is head of the Société Nationale des Acadiens, which represents 300,000 Acadians in the four Atlantic provinces.
The Acadian society wrote to the Queen several months ago, asking the Crown to consider an acknowledgment of the expulsions, which began in 1755 and ended around 1763. Earlier efforts to seek a royal apology were dropped.
Buckingham Palace responded by saying the Queen would need to consult with Canadian ministers, and the cabinet accepted the idea.
"The proposal was put to the cabinet, and we understand it was accepted unanimously," Mr. Chiasson said.
"We have to thank [cabinet ministers] Sheila Copps and Stéphane Dion, who took leadership on this and pushed it through.".
Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson is to sign the proclamation next week, he said.
The year 2005 with be the 250th anniversary of the expulsions, and it is hoped there will be a royal visit to the Maritimes that year, Mr. Chiasson said.
Mr. Dion said the proclamation is simply a matter of formally recognizing Acadians in Canada's history. "They wanted to be sure that this would be reported in museums and textbooks for history, and I think it's a valid point. We will help keep a sense of their history."
It's believed that 11,000 Acadians were deported from what is now the Maritimes from 1755 to 1763.
Some were sent to France and other parts of the world, but most were scattered throughout the American colonies. It's estimated that 3,000 others hid in the region's forests and in Quebec. Others sailed south to Louisiana where, over the centuries, their culture changed.
There are now about 245,000 francophones, most of them Acadians, in New Brunswick, with 34,000 in Nova Scotia and 5,500 in Prince Edward Island.
Mr. Chiasson's ancestors hid during the deportation, settling in Cheticamp, N.S., when the expulsion ended in the mid-1760s with a peace treaty between France and Britain.
Fisheries Minister Robert Thibault, an Acadian Nova Scotia MP, said yesterday that the formal recognition does notinclude financial redress. "The issue is not one of settlement. The issue is simply one of recognizing the historical facts."
Mr. Chiasson said that in addition to acknowledging the expulsions as part of Canadian history, a commemorative day will be set aside -- July 28.
"We finally have a document that recognizes the events surrounding that very sad part of our history," Mr. Chiasson said. "People are always revising history and undermining certain events. The fact that it is now recognized in this proclamation makes it a reality."
Mr. Thibault said the proclamation will help future generations of Acadians move forward while honouring their past.
"What I think is important for most Acadians is that we are forward-looking people. We are very happy within our place in Canada. . . . We don't dwell in the past, but we recognize and remember what our forefathers went through."
© 2003 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.