Industrialization and the hidden urbanization of Acadians Yves Bourgeois, PhD Director, Urban and community studies institute University of New Brunswick.

Industrialization and thehidden urbanization of Acadians

Yves Bourgeois, PhDDirector, Urban and community studies institute

University of New Brunswick

Urbanization in Atlantic Canada colloqiumFredericton, 21 November 2013

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Conclusion

Acadians have been urbanizing for 150 years Motivated by jobs in industrializing regions Hidden urbanization: emigration, now low density 3 overlapping patterns: US (1871-1941), Central

Canada (1901- ), NB (1931- ) Challenges: economic space, efficiency, equity

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World Acadian Congress every 5 years Madawaska 2014 Party, but also collective brainstorming

Youth out-migration Language and education Symbols and identity Resource sector development Economic development

Quiz: from what year was the above agenda?a) 2014

b) 2009

c) 2004

d) 1994

e) 18843

Le petit dérangement

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Answer… e) 1884 Convention nationale Miscouche 1884

Colonisation Langue et education française Drapeau et chant national Agriculture Commerce et industrie

1884 convention best known for flag and anthem, tho (youth) out-migration and rural colonies were major concerns (news, speeches, corresp, as no surviving transcript of commerce and industry)

Consensus to stem youth exodus to US factories,but Acadians divided between retreating to traditional resource sector (agriculture) and venturing into the new economy (manufacturing)

First Acadian urban policy (1884)…Rurification

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VillesSay

no to

scale

Where would you like to be at 7am?

Urbanization into US and rural colonization, 1871-1941

Mgr MF Richard did not have access to my fancy graphics tools, but his writing rich in imagery

Rapport sur la colonisation. Société de colonisation acadienne (1885) p. 4

“Acadiens ! Vous avez une patrie; c’est la belle Acadie que vous devez avoir et chérir comme une mère, une mère de douleur, qui vous a enfantée dans les larmes et les persécutions. Votre devoir c’est de la servir, de la défendre, de travailler à sa prospérité. Or vous ne saurez lui être plus utiles qu’en préparant le sol pour qu’Elle répande ses rameaux davantage afin qu’elle puisse élever son front triomphant au soleil des nations. Colonisez, braves fils de braves ancêtres.”

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Propagandist-style fear of industrialization Church has vested interest – internal colonialism,

keep tabs on flock in smaller communities Yet clerical nationalism even lay leaders rallied

around Church (ex. fight for Acadian bishop), as conflation between “the interest of God, Church and Nation” (Richard) Acadian / Irish wedge

Emigrating to Charles River textile factories was ethnic suicide lose language, customs, morals

Urbanizing in NB cities was as much a threat to assimilation (Anglo cities vs Franco villages)

“young men of Cocagne were returning with new clothes and with "the English of a negro. Soaked in United States' liberty, they forget religion and the taste for agriculture." (Moniteur acadien, 18 May 1888)” quoted from Andrew (2005)

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Urbanization into US and rural colonization, 1871-1941

Socio-economic context Parents subdividing property indebted and indentured to merchants to whom they

sold labour and purchased consumer goods. Clearing land for agriculture was onerous

red tape and usurious surveyors/commissioners take stumpage fees 1880s sub-prime scandal officials grant lands

and later seizing property, unable to pay Richard lobbies GNB against usurious officials… …while establishing sociétés de colonisation, the

Equal opportunities Act of its day, agricultural banks subsidizing settlement of new rural communities via donations from parishioners in established communitiesSt-Louis Rogersville, Bouctouche Ste-Marie

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Urbanization into US and rural colonization, 1871-1941

At critical juncture of NA industrialization and urbanization, Acadians debated paths forward (ex Poirier proponent of industry) Planned response rural colonization Unplanned response sustained

urbanization / emigration to US Assomption Vie (1903) by Acadian émigrés to Waltham as testimony of Acadian US emigration

May have slowed assimilation of Acadians staying in NB (16% of NB in 1861 to 36% in 1961), but did not stem out-migration

Would NB urbanization have propelled industry and entrepreneurship ?

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Urbanization into US and rural colonization, 1871-1941

Relatively little urbanization in NB but explosion from industrialization in Central Canada

SJ had 45% of T.O.’s pop in 1861. 3% 100 yrs later Between 1931 and 1971 NB lost 140k NBers net Local institutions buttressed rural (Caisses pop,

Coop)

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Urbanization into Central Canada, 1901-

City population in ‘000s

1861 1901 1931 1961 1991

Toronto 65 238 857 1824 2276

Montreal 130 268 819 1202 1018

Saint John 29 41 48 55 75*

Moncton 0.6 9 21 44 57

Fredericton 6 7 9 20 48*

Miramichi 5 6 7 12 12

Campbellton 3 7 8 9

Edmundston 0.4 1 6 13 11

Bathurst 0.6 1 3 5 14

Urbanization at the fringes, 1931-

Puzzles NB’s %pop living in rural communities was 51%

in 1961, 43% in 1971, 52% in 1991, 48% 2011 Between 1961 and 1971 alone, employment fell

in Ag (7 to 3%), For (9 to 5%) and Fish (2 to 1%) 1961-2011 SJ,-Fred-Mon city growth moderate

(20%), but their CDs (Westmorland +50%, York +100) and adjacent (Albert 250%, Kings 300%)

Hypothesis Urbanization of rural communities, transformation

from resource to post-industrial and bedroom63% work in CAs and CMAs

Gentrification of rural communities (professions, income, specialized services, retail)

Low-density urbanization11

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New Brunswickers you know ?

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Is this a village, town or city ?

Summary Today’s debates on urbanization, youth

migration are anything but new Acadians as all NBers have long been

urbanizing – we do near our cities now Many rural communities were planned as a

counterweight to urbanization Leaders have planned them for 130 years;

people have been urbanizing for 150 Industrialization, including hybrid of digital

and staples economy, exerts pull on our workers and firms

We debate scale of local service delivery, but need to think scale differently when it comes to economic planning to prosper in global production networks 14

Implications NB north-south, urban-rural debates distract from

global challenges More useful to think of connected-remote

continuum than rural-urban dichotomy Communities within earshot of CA/CMA –

connectivity, transportation, taxation Outside earshot, sustainability “What’s new? The

arena got refurbished. Now it’s back to survival” Where do we locate schools, hospitals, arenas? Who pays for amenities and roads to get there We underinvest in amenity quality and overinvest

on quantity and roads

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Gérald LeBlanc (1977) Kouchibougouac

[…]

Y’en a qui veniont ici

Y nous disiont : « Restez! Restez!

Vous allez mourir si vous sortez

Nous aut’es on est mort d’ennui. »

Y’en avait d’aut’es qui nous disiont

« On voudrait se revoir icitte

Avec la vieille lampe pis le poêle plein de bois

On aime mieux ça que y’ousqu’on est. »

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