The many facets
of Acadia
By Marie-Claude Rioux
In my first editorial, I wrote that as of 1763, some Acadians who survived the deportation chose to return to their former homeland and inhabit the present-day Acadian regions of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
This homecoming was brought about by the Treaty of Paris, which signaled the end of the Seven Years’ War in 1763. Nevertheless, repressive laws remained in place until 1784. The British Board of Trade, the department in charge of trade and industry, ordered Governor Wilmot to free those Acadians who were still imprisoned and to allow them to settle in the region, like the deported Acadians, on the condition that they take an oath of allegiance.
While he did not contravene this order, Governor Wilmot nevertheless imposed additional conditions on the Acadians to discourage them from staying in the region: he granted them plots of land that were far from each other and unsuitable for cultivation, prohibited Acadians from gathering in groups of more than 10 people or from owning land, confiscated their property, required them to sign an oath of allegiance renouncing their Catholic faith and expelled the Catholic clergy. Finally, a law enacted in 1759 cancelled all property titles to which Acadians could have laid claim.
Sonia Lebel
Once again, and against all the odds, Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie is back again to astound us with a rich, varied program that puts Acadia squarely in the spotlight.
L’Acadie, au coeur de mon pays. This is a theme that bursts with colour, from blue, white and red to yellow and the entire range of shades they incorporate, just like this great and dynamic community. Acadians’ involvement in and ongoing commitment to the cause of the French language, through culture, trade and youth actions, has helped ensure the vitality of the French fact in Canada. The last Acadian World Congress, which I had the pleasure to attend in 2019, already provides ample proof of this. I should also mention the 40th anniversary of the Québec Government Office in the Atlantic Provinces, which has worked effectively with Acadian organizations to strengthen the ties that bind us.
In addition, I am proud to see that Québec is fully involved in the work to bring together Francophones and Francophiles from across Canada. The year 2021 will be an inspiration, with the holding of the Sommet sur le rapprochement des francophonies canadiennes organized by the governement of Québec and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada. The Summit, which will be held in June, will provide an opportunity to increase Francophone solidarity and boost the influence of the Canadian Francophonie and the French language in Canada. Also in 2021, work has begun to renew the Québec Policy on the Canadian Francophonie. I invite you all to take part in the online public consultation, which will be launched shortly.
In short, 2021 will be a key year for the Canadian Francophonie, and we must celebrate the fact that Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie
Discouraged, the Acadians accepted these conditions and settled the lands granted to them. Spread to the far corners of the Maritimes and surrounded by more densely populated Anglophone regions, they became even more vulnerable. Furthermore, because their former properties and other arable land had been given to English settlers, many Acadians had no choice but to turn to the sea to ensure their livelihood. They were at the mercy of rich landowners from England and Jersey, which further hampered their progress.
Next came a series of legal measures to slow the development of the Acadian communities. Acadians were denied the right to vote on the basis of their religion. Similarly, they were denied education in their mother tongue. In Nova Scotia, for example, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that Acadians could go to school in French from primary (kindergarten) to Grade 12.
Despite all these challenges, Acadian communities developed at a rapid pace. Populous communities sprang up because the plots of land granted to Acadians were quite large. These are now the Acadian regions of the Acadian Peninsula, Madawaska, the Evangeline Region and Baie Sainte-Marie.
Furthermore, Acadian communities and regions were almost entirely Francophone and isolated from Anglophone communities. Communities and families lived their lives in French, so their lack of access to French-language education had hardly any impact on the language’s survival. Starting in the 1980s, however, English mass media, the Internet, and an increase in marriages outside the community (brought on by a decline in religion) significantly changed the uniform French landscape of the Acadian regions.
The forced scattering of Acadian families throughout the Maritime provinces also gave rise to multiple Acadias, or an Acadia with many facets. These various cultural facets were defined by geography, speech patterns, traditions and even political power.
For this reason, the regions of Baie Sainte-Marie, Par-en-Pas, Chéticamp and Isle Madame, Nova Scotia, have each developed their own personality. Dispersed across all corners of the province and separated by over 800 km in some cases, Acadians in each region speak a totally different type of French and have adopted and preserved distinct customs. Some areas enjoy political representation, while others do not. Some communities consist of a series of small villages and some are situated between the sea and the hills, while others are on isthmuses that separate them from other towns in the same region.
Cynthia Garneau
Finding better ways to connect communities is part of VIA Rail’s mission. We are therefore proud to support the 2021 edition of the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, a great opportunity to engage in conversation and share experiences across Canada, which is essential especially during this time of social distancing.
Throughout the pandemic, VIA Rail has continued to serve Canadians across the country in the official language of their choice, whether they are communicating with our call centres or aboard one of our trains for essential travel.
As CEO of VIA Rail, I work hard to be a positive influence on all my colleagues to foster a culture of bilingualism in our organization and to remind them of this cornerstone of our country’s cultural identity: being able to live in French and English.
As we wait for our trains to once again welcome the 5 million passengers we saw in 2019, I invite you to participate in the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, virtually from March 1 to 31, to celebrate the history of Acadia with us and with all of Canada’s Francophones and Francophiles.
We wish the 2021 Rendez-vous de la Francophonie the best of success!
These regional differences also apply to the Acadian areas of Prince Edward Island: The Evangeline region benefits from more robust French-language services than the regions of Tignish, Rustico and Souris, which were largely assimilated but have recently established French schools so that local Acadians can rediscover the language of their ancestors.
As for the Acadians of New Brunswick, their political representation has been the envy of Acadians in other provinces. However, cultural and linguistic differences between the northwest, north, east and southeast regions are just as evident. Acadians in Madawaska (the Acadia of plains and forests) are mainly farmers, while those of other regions have turned to the sea for their livelihoods. The accent and expressions of Acadians in the Southwest differ substantially from those of Acadians in other regions.
In conclusion, when it comes to the Acadian regions of the Maritimes, it’s important to acknowledge that each region—and sometimes even each village within these regions—has its own unique characteristics.
Some Acadians eat ployes; others enjoy rappie pie, Acadian pâté or poutine. Some celebrate Tintamarre; others, Mi-Carême. Some Acadians have political clout; others do not. Regardless, this multi-faceted Acadia is characterized by resilience and a common history that have ultimately forged an identity that can be claimed by each and every Acadian.
