Nearly 2½ centuries after the British ordered thousands of Acadians expelled from the Maritimes, the Queen and the Acadian community have decided to make amends.
The federal government has agreed to endorse a royal proclamation that will acknowledge the suffering of the Acadians caused by their expulsions in the 18th century.
“We finally have a document that recognizes the events surrounding that very sad part of our history,” Euclide Chiasson, head of the Société Nationale des Acadiens, said on Wednesday.
“People are always revising history and undermining certain events. The fact that it is now recognized in this proclamation makes it a reality,” said Mr. Chiasson, whose ancestors were among those forced to leave.
The proclamation was approved by the federal cabinet during what was expected to be its final meeting with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien earlier this week.
The effort to have the expulsion formally recognized as part of Canadian history was spearheaded several months ago, when the Société Nationale des Acadiens wrote a letter to the Queen asking the Crown to issue a royal proclamation.
Buckingham Palace responded to the request by saying the Queen would need to consult with Canadian ministers. The proposal was subsequently accepted unanimously by cabinet.
The proclamation will be signed by Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson next week and July 28 will become a commemorative day, Mr. Chiasson said.
About 11,000 Acadians were expelled from their land in 1755, when they refused to sign an oath of allegiance that included a promise to take up arms against British enemies.
All French-speaking residents of the former colony of Nova Scotia (now the Maritimes) were crowded onto British ships and dispersed throughout the Thirteen Colonies to the south, dividing families.
Many died at sea. Others were dropped off, with nothing to sustain them, at arbitrary points along the coast. It is estimated that another 3,000 hid in the region's forests and in Quebec.
Some of the deported were absorbed into the future American melting pot, while others made it to the Roman Catholic colony of Louisiana and created the Cajun culture.
Those who escaped to Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island faced a second expulsion three years later, when the British captured those holdings.
Over the years, many Acadians made their way back, searching to reunite their families. They re-established themselves in New Brunswick, where about a quarter of a million francophones — most of them Acadians — live today.
Another 34,000 Acadians live in Nova Scotia, and 5,500 live in Prince Edward Island.
With a report from Canadian Press
