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Showing posts from 2017

Les Vengeurs Acadjens: Descente sur la ville...

Pour une diversité de raisons, on dit souvent que Moncton est la région qui connaît la croissance la plus rapide au Canada atlantique. Cependant, une des principales causes de cette croissance est due à l’importante migration francophone en provenance du nord de la province. En conséquence directe de la fermeture des mines, du bois d'œuvre et des usines de pâtes et papiers dans le nord du Nouveau-Brunswick, à la recherche d'occasions pour un avenir prometteur, de nombreux jeunes acadiens ont afflué vers le sud pour rejoindre la population bilingue de Moncton. Par contre, à Moncton, ville officiellement bilingue, du N.-B.,   la seule province officiellement bilingue au Canada, il est toujours surprenant de constater qu'au cours des dernières années, l'augmentation du nombre de francophones dans la région de Moncton a aussi augmenté l'anti-bilinguisme. Martin Patriquin, dans un article publié dans Macleans l’an dernier (Can anything save New Brunswick? , le 11 m...

Acajun Avengers: Of Mice and Fishermen

Moncton is often touted as being the fastest-growing region in Atlantic Canada for a variety of reasons, and one of them is because there is an important francophone migration from the north. As a direct result of the closure of mines, lumber and pulp and paper mills in Northern New Brunswick, in search of opportunities for a more promising future many young people have consequently flocked to the south in order join the city of Moncton’s bilingual work force. However, in Moncton, an officially bilingual city in Canada’s sole officially bilingual province, New Brunswick, it is surprising to see that, in recent years, with the increase of francophones in the Moncton area there has also been a rise in anti-bilingualism.   Martin Patriquin, in an article published in Macleans last year (‘Can anything save New Brunswick?’, March 11, 2016), explores the anti-French sentiment (1): For English-language advocates, the issue is less about cost than what they see as favouritism ...

The city of Moncton 'honours' Col. Robert Monckton, British ethnic cleanser

Because of his fear of a possible French counteroffensive and because the Acadians refused to take an unqualified oath of allegiance, Lawrence and his Council in Halifax had unanimously agreed on July 28 [1755] to deport all the Acadian inhabitants and “to send them to be distributed amongst the several Colonies.” This was a military decision made by an inflexible and insecure military man. [...] On receiving his orders from Lawrence, Monckton commanded the New England troops to begin the nasty business of burning the Acadian settlements, slaughtering their livestock, and herding the Acadians like cattle to various ports along the Bay of Fundy. Some of the volunteers found the command “surprising” and “Very Disagreeable” to their “Natural make and Temper,” but they nevertheless obeyed. It has been estimated that between 6,000 and 7,000 Acadian men, women, and children, out of a total Acadian population on peninsular Nova Scotia of no more than 9,000 were deported during the las...