Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my dear friend and colleague as well as the other members who have taken part in this debate.
The motion moved by my colleague from Verchères--Les-Patriotes is an important one which encapsulates a great deal of emotion for the people of Acadia.
The motion with the amendment would not infringe on the government, the British crown or the monarchy. It simply puts forward a very reasonable request to recognize the harm and the horror suffered by the Acadian people.
It is with pleasure that I rise in the House this afternoon to support the motion brought forward by my colleague from the Bloc Quebecois, the member for Verchères—Les-Patriotes.
Some people may be surprised to see an anglophone from Nova Scotia speak in favour of this motion. After all, some people may have been tempted to see it as an insult to the British crown, the federal government or even English Canada.
However, in this third hour of debate on this motion, it is clear that it is simply not the case. This motion does not target the federal government and is not an insult to the crown. After all, the crown did apologize to certain people for similar acts committed in its name.
I support this motion. It is an official policy, a gesture we should give to the Acadian people for the wrongdoings done to them between 1755 and 1763. It is a statement of recognition of something that happened that is inextricably linked sadly to their history, and a proud history it is. It is simply an act that recognizes what was a horrific attempt at ethnic cleansing. A tragedy of this scale happening today would be horrifying and hard to comprehend.
I believe the mover of the motion recognizes this is not to set a precedent. This is not lending itself toward financial compensation or return of lands. Obviously this could potentially displace more people and cause further harm. However, we do recognize and feel that an apology is in order.
We feel that it is time to recognize this date that lives in infamy, of 1755 when the expulsion of the Acadians, le grand dérangement, occurred. Simply, it is time. It is time that we recognized this event which displaced somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 individuals from their homes, separating families. Their homes, as everyone may or may not be aware, were burned. The dikes that they built that were a tribute to the backbreaking labour that was done by hand still stand today in the Bay of Fundy area near Grande Pré, Nova Scotia.
The Acadian population at its peak in 1749 was close to 12,000. Between the dates of 1749 and 1753, tensions between French and British people increased and a couple of thousand Acadians were caught in the middle. Fearing the worst, many of them left and fled to French territory, currently places such as Ile St. Jean in Prince Edward Island, Ile Royal in Cape Breton and other parts of Quebec.
The Seven Years War was about to begin and the British people did not want the possibility of French living in the territories to undermine these colonial wars. The fact is that the Acadian people did not want to support either side. They simply wanted to live their lives. They wanted to farm. They wanted to live a peaceful existence, which is exactly what they were doing. There were numerous requests made over the years but Acadians consistently and principally refused to sign an allegiance to either government. They only wanted to farm their lands.
Acadians had been in North America for such a time that they had ceased to even view themselves as French colonists. They developed their own language, their own culture. They were their own people, les Acadiens, a very proud people. They had virtually no ties to either government and would not be forced to take sides.
Yet in 1755, under British Governor Lawrence, the deportation occurred. People were rounded up. Families were separated. They were herded like cattle onto ships and taken away. Much of this is chronicled in the famous book published by Longfellow that speaks of this horrific act. A statue still stands in Grand Pré, Nova Scotia, a statue that is in tribute to the Acadian people.
It is through these acts when they were deported; their homes as I mentioned were burned and it is thought that between 3,000 and 4,000 Acadians did not flee or did not get deported until 1755. However, many died of illness and many spent years roaming the land of North America searching for their lost loved ones. Most of the Acadians made their way out of the province. Many simply hid and were forced to again embark on this heartbreaking venture of trying to locate their families.
The deportation occurred along the eastern coast of North America. They were transported to Massachusetts, Georgia, many to Louisiana, Quebec and other parts of North America. They arrived unannounced, as Governor Lawrence did not inform the other colonies of their arrival. They faced many prejudices upon their arrival in their new places of existence. The English colonies did not want them. They felt they were too expensive to deal with. Thus Acadians were often at sea for long periods of time and endured immense suffering and hardship.
Some managed to evade the English and some made their way back to the French territories in Ile Royal and Ile St. Jean. Many came back to Nova Scotia. There are communities in Tracadie, Pomquet, Havre Boucher. There are certainly communities on the south shore of Nova Scotia where many Acadians still live today.
The hardship of Acadians, their sorrow, their struggle to return home, as I said, is chronicled in Longfellow's epic poem Evangeline .
The Acadians who were fortunate enough to complete the trek back to Nova Scotia could not return directly to the lands that they had once possessed. They were now being possessed by anglophones.
Even after years of war and even after the conflicts between the British and French had finally come to an end, the Acadians were abandoned. They were left to fend for themselves.
The lands that they were dispossessed of were occupied . Even though they were not rich lands, they were lands that their forefathers had worked. They were lands to which they felt emotionally attached. Their forefathers had shed their blood, sweat and tears on these lands, building these remarkable dikes that still exist to this today and stand as a tribute to their hard work and efforts. The land grants that were given to Acadians were generally located at the extremities of the province.
It is time that we deal with this historical event that occurred and address it. The particular motion, brought forward in very good faith and in a very comprehensive way gives us an opportunity to do that. It is a motion on which we will permit our members to vote freely. It is a motion of conscience. Certainly it is one that I would encourage all members, particularly the proud members of the House who share Acadian ancestry and many who have spoken to the bill, to support. It is a good motion.
Again, I congratulate my friend for his original motion. It is extraordinary. It is exceptional.