Speech

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER CELEBRATES ACADIAN CULTURE AT HUGE ANNUAL FESTIVAL ACADIEN

August 15, 2007
CARAQUET, NB

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Mayor Landry,

Premier Graham and Members of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly,

Colleagues from the Parliament of Canada,

Distinguished guests,

Dear friends,

For over a century, August 15 has been a celebration of Acadian solidarity.

But the real source of Acadian solidarity goes back much farther than that.

This year, the Festival highlights the 250th anniversary of Acadians' settling the Grand Caraquet region.

And over 150 years before that, a French colony had already been established on the Ile Ste-Croix, in 1604, four years before Quebec City was founded.

And so Canada, our country, was born in French.

The first people to call themselves Canadians were Francophones who built their first communities, first on our Atlantic coast and on the shores of the St. Lawrence, and then from coast to coast to coast.

Long before Confederation and the passage of official languages legislation, communities like yours had built institutions and networks that safeguarded your development.

Networks that were built first and foremost around the most important institution of all: the family.

And then, over time, came churches, schools, universities, hospitals, businesses, media and other institutions that protect the vitality of Francophone communities which generations of Francophones and Acadians planted with courage and hope now flourishes in hundreds of communities throughout our country.

Francophones and Acadians like Martin Leger, the founder of the Caisse Populaire Acadien, who is here with us today.

The struggle for the survival and vitality of the French fact in Canada was fought and won in communities like Caraquet and many other Acadian communities.

There is no doubt that Acadians, long before Confederation, gave the most impressive example of a community proud of its values and culture.

Those sacrifices were not in vain.

Thanks to your determination; your will to pass on your culture and your language to your children; and your collective efforts to build solid Francophone associations, you have affirmed your rights, including the right to be recognized and respected as a founding people of Canada.

On the world scene, the mutual enrichment of two languages and two cultures within one country is Canada's signature achievement.

British descendants later arrived over generations, due to conflicts between major powers.

But in Canada, conflict gave way to cooperation thanks to the emergence of other voices, including such great Canadians as John A. McDonald and George-Étienne Cartier.

Both of them, and their colleagues, were far-sighted.

They saw the need and seized the opportunity to forge a new relationship of mutual respect between two cultures that, in the Old World, were still fighting.

And eventually, men and women from around the world brought their hopes, their ambitions, talents and cultures to our great land.

The Canada we know and deeply love today is tangible proof that MacDonald, Cartier and all our founders were right.

Canada today is an example of the world in our embrace of diversity, in the ability of Canadian federalism to preserve what distinguishes our communities while strengthening what unites us as a country.

That is why Canada's New Government is committed to genuinely supporting bilingualism and providing real support to minority-language communities throughout the country where bilingualism is a daily reality.

But this is no time for big political speeches.

And so I will close by wishing all Acadians and Brayons a wonderful celebration on August 15.

Thank you and till next time.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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