Debates of the Canadian Senate
Tuesday, November 20, 2001
La fête nationale des Acadiens et des Acadiennes
Day of Recognition-Motion-Debate Continued
On the Order:
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable
Senator Losier-Cool, seconded by the Honourable Senator
Léger:
That the Senate of Canada recommend that the
Government of Canada recognize the date of August 15th
as Fête nationale des Acadiens et Acadiennes, given the
Acadian people's economic, cultural and social
contribution to Canada.
Hon. Viola Léger: Honourable senators, it is my great
pleasure to rise in support of the motion presented by my
colleague the Honourable Senator Losier-Cool, to recommend
that the government recognize August 15 as the Fête
nationale des Acadiens et des Acadiennes.
I am also very honoured to be able to do so here as a
senator from Acadia. Since the time of the illustrious
Senator Pascal Poirier, the first Acadian to sit in this
house, Acadian senators have always showed a deep and
sincere commitment to this assembly and to the Acadian
people. I have every intention of following in the footsteps
of my predecessors, so that Acadia will continue to get
increasingly stronger, vibrant and dynamic.
The motion before us today is very eloquent. Acadia can
indeed take pride in its contribution to Canada's economic,
cultural and social vitality. Acadia came to existence in
1604. Slowly, with the modest means available to it, it took
roots. It has grown and it continues to grow. Even though
Acadia experienced a great tragedy, Acadians have always had
great confidence in life. They were able to keep their heads
high, because their heart is in the right place and because
they have intestinal fortitude. In the wake of the
unfortunate incidents that marked their history, they
decided to get together and celebrate their feeling of
belonging. They wanted a celebration that would be a
testimony to their solidarity, perseverance and confidence
in the future.
This is how, at a national convention held in Memramcook in
1881, delegates from every corner of Acadia chose August 15
as Acadia's national holiday. Since then, Acadians have
always celebrated their national holiday with great
enthusiasm. Every year, our holiday is marked by a lot of
noise when Acadian men, women and children walk on the
streets to affirm their presence in America, their French
pride and their joie de vivre.
The Acadian adventure has been going on now for close to 400
years. Planning is already underway for large-scale
celebrations to mark this 400th anniversary in 2004, and I
am sure that they will be a source of great pride.
Over its 400 years, Acadia has helped to make Canada the
magnificent country it is today. I would particularly like
to speak to you about its cultural contribution to our
Confederation.
If there is one area in which the Acadian people have
distinguished themselves in Canada and throughout the world,
it is through culture. I am an active participant in that
culture and I know whereof I speak. I have appreciated and
experienced all the richness and diversity of artistic
expression in Acadia. Over the centuries, hundreds of
Acadians have sought, in and through their art, to define
the soul of Acadia. Whether they are still living on their
ancestral lands or have taken up existence in one of the
four corners of the world, they have worked very hard, and
continue to do so, to help us collectively to trace a
portrait of our identity. An identity which fears neither
its folklore nor its modern manifestation. An identity
focused on imagination, innovation and creative excellence.
Acadia has found its expression through many avenues. For
years, its schools and its famous classical colleges were
the primary sites for the creation of choirs, theatre
companies and dance troupes, which were praised for their
excellence in Canada, in the United States and as far away
as Europe. As proof, I give you the fact that our choirs
have won the famous Lincoln trophy nine times. This period
in our history was enriched by the contributions of
remarkable artists, such as the celebrated violinist Arthur
LeBlanc and the no less celebrated opera singer Anna
Malenfant, who dazzled international music scenes.
Over the past thirty years, the vitality of the Acadian
culture has burst forth in the public place primarily. Art
in Acadia has grown so that the festivals, artistic
institutions and networks that promote and disseminate them
have sprung up all over. The Festival acadien, the Pays de
la Sagouine, the Grand-Pré national historic site, the
Théâtre populaire d'Acadie, to name but a few, are sites of
creativity where every year - and in many ways - what may be
called the Acadian soul bubbles forth. In all cultural
sectors, people are rolling up their sleeves to ensure a
rosy future awaits the Acadian culture.
Indeed, it is with pride that I say the extraordinary
panoply of artists giving expression to Acadia is quite
simply astounding. Whether it be in literature, music, the
visual arts, theatre, the cinema, video, dance, the
multi-disciplinary arts or architecture, the better known
artists have made their mark, and the next generation is
springing up. From Antonine Maillet, winner of the Prix
Goncourt, to the young poet Jean-Philippe Raîche, currently
short-listed for the Governor General's Award, to
Herménégilde Chiasson, honoured by France as a Chéalier des
Arts et des Lettres, to Serge Patrice Thibodeau, winner of
several literary awards and France Daigle, Raymond LeBlanc,
Gérald Leblanc, Rose Després, Dyane Léger and so many
others, a wave of Acadian literature is swelling in Acadia,
Canada and internationally.
In music, I would be remiss in not mentioning the
extraordinary creative contribution by Michel Cardin,
world-renowned lute player, and the University of Moncton's
Arthur LeBlanc quartet, with its solid reputation. On the
musical scene as well, we have the famous Cajun Zachary
Richard, as well as Édith Butler, Angèle Arseneault,
Barachois, Grand Dérangement, Roch Voisine, and all the
rest, including new group of the year Feu Vert, recognized
as such as the recent Prix Éloizes gala.
In the visual arts, who could neglect to mention the highly
contemporary work of painter Claude Roussel, and sculptress
Marie-Hélène Allain, as well as Yvon Gallant, Roméo Savoie,
Nérée deGrâce and all the up-and-coming artists still
perfecting their art.
And then there is Acadian theatre. Ranging from the
character of La Sagouine - whom I have come to know well, so
I may be permitted a little knowing wink here, perhaps! - to
the Théâtre populaire de l'Acadie, celebrating twenty-five
years of existence, Acadian theatre continues to flourish
and expand both at home and abroad. Speaking of the
flourishing Acadian theatre, I would like to salute the
Théâtre de l'Escaouette, which courageously mounts
first-performance Acadian creations in order to give Acadian
playwrights, both the young and the not-so-young, the
opportunities so necessary to their art.
Over the years, Acadia has also produced a few filmmakers. I
am thinking of Léonard Forest, Herménégilde Chiasson, Phil
Comeau, Rodrigue Jean and his Full Blast, and young Renée
Blanchar, a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
But Acadia knows how to dance too! From folk dancing groups
such as the Danseurs du Haut-Saint-Jean, who just recently
charmed Canadian and European audiences, to the DansEnCorps
troupe from Moncton, with its modern take on this art form,
dance has always been a vital part of Acadian culture.
I have just evoked a veritable mosaic of artists who are the
pride of Acadia and of Canada. Naturally, I would have liked
to name every single artist, but the time and space
available to me here are limited. For the number of artists
that Acadia has given to Canada and to the world is
considerable. But I would nonetheless like to pay tribute as
well to those who work away from the glare in conditions
that are not always easy. Their commitment gives me hope in
our collective future.
The economic potential of the arts is enormous. According to
Statistics Canada figures for 1997, culture is one of the
most rapidly developing sectors in New Brunswick, with a job
growth rate of 12.2 per cent compared to 5.1 per cent for
Canada as a whole. The direct and indirect impact on the
economy represents millions of dollars and tens of thousands
of jobs: a solid investment.
I am glad that, thanks to the Department of Canadian
Heritage and the Canada Council, increasing numbers of
Acadian artists have access to grants and subsidies, which
allow them to devote themselves to their artistic endeavours
and thus help enrich Canada's cultural heritage. I sincerely
hope that, here in the Senate, we will examine more closely
the various facets of artistic creation, so that the
Government of Canada can continue to support and promote
these artists.
Through literature and theatre, Acadia expresses itself.
Through painting, sculpture, cinema and videos it expresses
its vision of the world. Through dancing, it shows its
strength and vitality. It is through our artists that we
realize that the Acadian identity is as broad as life,
because it knows no boundaries.
Whether in Newfoundland, Louisiana, Caraquet, Montreal or
Belle-Île-en-Mer, the Acadian soul is constantly reborn. We
are intrigued, seduced and moved by it. It also makes us
laugh, and sometimes cry. It makes us travel through time
and space. The arts are a people's soul. Without arts, there
can be no identity. And without identity, a people cannot
exist. The Acadian culture has been one of the most
effective tools to ensure the future of the Acadian people.
Today, it is also contributing to making Canada a country
with multiple accents and with infinite opportunities to
develop. The Acadian culture helps promote Canada, because
it is now known and celebrated throughout the Francophonie.
For that reason, it participates in the dialogue of cultures
between the states and governments of the Francophonie, as
was so brilliantly demonstrated at the Francophonie summit
held in Moncton, in 1999.
The Acadia of 2001 is now an essential component of Canada's
multicultural panorama. We can take pride in saying that,
indeed, we were heard from "coast to coast," to quote
Canada's beautiful motto. In this respect, Acadia deserves
to have the country mark its presence, and also the quality
and vitality of that presence by recognizing August 15 as
the Fête nationale des Acadiens et des Acadiennes.