New legislative session met with protests led by Acadian, Indigenous groups

By Arun Budhathoki, NB Media Co-op

October 26, 2022

FREDERICTON / UNCEDED WOLASTOQIYIK TERRITORY – 

Three hundred people filled Fredericton’s streets banging pans and blowing horns in a Tintamarre for Acadian, Francophone and Indigenous rights on Tuesday, October 25.

Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick and Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc. joined with the Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick to organize the protest. 

“We are here today to talk in a common front with our sisters and brothers, the Indigenous people, to send a strong message to the Higgs government that we need some reconciliation,” said Alexandre Cédric Doucet, president of the Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick. 

“We expect one thing, one word, respect, that’s all,” he said before the protesters marched to the Legislative Assembly, where Lt.-Gov. Brenda Murphy delivered the provincial government’s speech from the throne. 

“We need more conversations about bringing our province together as one province with my Progressive Conservative Party has had a long history of fighting for language rights,” independent MLA Dominic Cardy told the NB Media Co-op.

“Now, the next reason I struggle is to include First Nations in that conversation. Tree population has been here the longest. We have to address tensions and issues. Then we can get a province that welcomes newcomers it becomes a wealthy, successful, and equal province”.

The protest also called for revising the Provincial Official Languages Act (LLO-NB).

Arun Budhathoki is a journalist with the NB Media Co-op. This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Stations and Users (CACTUS).