New Brunswick

From the wooded mountainsides of the Appalachians in the northwest to the violent tides of the Bay of Fundy in the south, New Brunswick is a picturesque province with a mostly peaceful history. The only officially bilingual province, New Brunswick is one of the three Maritime Provinces, one of the four Atlantic Provinces, and one of the four original provinces of the Dominion of Canada.

The province is bounded on the north by Quebec, on the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, on the southeast by Nova Scotia (connected by the isthmus of Chignecto), on the south by the Bay of Fundy, and on the west by the American state of Maine.

General Information

Name: When it was organized as a province in 1784, New Brunswick was named for the British royal family of Brunswick-Luneburg (the House of Hannover). Thousands of British Loyalists fled the American Revolution to settle in New Brunswick. Because of their presence, the region was nicknamed the Loyalist Province.

Provincial Symbols

• Bird: Black-capped chickadee
• Flower: Purple violet (Canada violet)
• Tree: Balsam fir
• Motto: Spem Reduxit (Latin, "Hope was restored")

Capital: The provincial capital is Fredericton, situated on both banks of the St. John River, in the west central portion of the province.

Fredericton was settled by French-speaking Acadians fleeing the British in what is now Nova Scotia. They named the town St. Anne's Point. The British later burned St. Anne's Point to the ground, but it was rebuilt by Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution.

When New Brunswick became a separate province from Nova Scotia, the town of St. Anne's Point was renamed Frederick's Town. This was soon changed to Fredericton. The name was chosen in honor of Prince Frederick Augustus, duke of York, the second son of King George III.

People & Culture

Population: The population of New Brunswick numbered 789,225 people according to 2021 estimates, most of whom live on the coasts and along the river valleys. French is the first language of a third of the population, and New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province. Other ethnic groups include Irish, Scottish, and British, in addition to First Nations peoples and Métis.

The majority of the population is Roman Catholic (with 616,910 self-identifying as such in the 2011 National Household Survey) or Protestant (with a combined total over 200,000). Those self-identifying as unaffiliated with a religion numbered 111,435.

The oldest city in the province is Saint John, with a population of 67,575 in the 2016 census. Other major cities include Moncton, with 71,889 residents in 2016, and the capital, Fredericton, with 58,220.

Native People: In the sixteenth century, the New Brunswick area was inhabited by the Mi'kmaqs and the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy. The Mi'kmaqs were hunters and fishers who were friendly with the French but hostile to the English. Exposed to European diseases, the population of the Mi'kmaqs fell from an estimated twenty thousand in the sixteenth century to fewer than two thousand in 1904. By the 1990s, the number had increased to around twenty thousand, and by 2015 there were almost 60,000 registered Mi'kmaq nations members throughout Canada. In 2018 there were nine registered Mi'kmaq nations in New Brunswick, with over 8,200 registered people.

The Maliseets and Passamaquoddy, believed to have been a farming culture, were closely related groups who spoke a common language. Following smallpox epidemics, the two tribes lived together but remained politically independent. According to the St. John River Valley Tribal Council, about 240,000 Maliseets, organized into several First Nations communities, live in New Brunswick today.

There is an ongoing conflict between the First Nations and non-Aboriginals over fishing, hunting, and logging rights in New Brunswick. Violence erupted in 1999, with non-Aboriginals destroying First Nations equipment and burning a sacred site. In 2013 First Nations protesters demonstrated against natural gas fracking, resulting in several arrests. Relations remain tense. In the 2016 census 36,405 New Brunswick respondents claimed First Nations origins.

Arts and Entertainment: Numerous festivals are held in New Brunswick throughout the year, including Foire Brayonne (lumberjack festival) in mid-August and the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in September. Fredericton hosts the Highland Games and Scottish Festival in July, the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival in mid-August, and the Silver Wave Film Festival in the third week of November. Canada's Irish Festival is held each July in Miramichi, and the Grand Falls Regional Potato Festival is held at the end of June in the city of Grand Falls.

The Capitol Theatre in Moncton is restored in the grand style of vaudeville theatres of the 1920s and offers a wide range of cultural events. Fredericton's large arts community features the Playhouse, home of Theatre New Brunswick.

Museums include the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, and the Fredericton Region Museum in Fredericton. St. John is home to the New Brunswick Museum, the 1810 Loyalist House, the Barbour's General Store Museum, and the 1812 Carleton Martello Tower with military weapons displays.

Other museums include the Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown, the Moncton Museum, and the Musée acadien de l'Université de Moncton in that city, and the New Brunswick Internment Camp Museum.

New Brunswick has nurtured numerous poets and writers, such as nineteenth-century authors Bliss Carman (considered Canada's greatest poet in his time), Charles G. D. Roberts, and Joseph Sherman. Notable authors of the twentieth century include Alfred Goldsworthy Bailey, Elizabeth Brewster, and Alden Nowlan.

In 1847, American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote Evangeline, the story of a displaced woman from the Maritime Provinces searching for her love. The epic poem was credited with sparking a renaissance of Acadian culture.

Environment & Geography

The largest of the three Maritime Provinces, square-shaped New Brunswick has a total land area of 72,092 square kilometers (27,835 square miles) and a water area of 1,344 square kilometers (519 square miles). With 2,253 kilometers (1,400 miles) of coastline, no part of New Brunswick is more than 193 kilometers (120 miles) from the sea. There are no major lakes in the province.

The wildlife of New Brunswick includes moose, black bears, lynx, and deer. Common birds include puffins, plovers, great blue herons, and sandpipers. Marine life found in the province includes seals, sharks, and skates, as well as the many species of whales in the Bay of Fundy.

Chief among New Brunswick's natural resources are timber, fish and shellfish, game, and minerals.

Topography: New Brunswick's major rivers and many small streams originate in the northwest highland plateau. The largest river is the St. John, which runs north to south through the western part of the province and empties into the Bay of Fundy. Second is the Miramichi, emptying into the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east. The Restigouche rises in the Chaleur Uplands and empties into Chaleur Bay in the north.

New Brunswick's highest point is Mt. Carleton (elevation 2,690 feet). Gently rolling hills dominate the central and eastern portion of the province, descending to a maritime plain in the north and east. The Caledonia Highlands and Kent Hills line the southern coast, and a lowland plain extends inland from the southwest coast.

National Parks: New Brunswick has two national parks. Fundy National Park at Alma features a scenic coastal drive, kayaking, whale-watching, camping, swimming, hiking, tennis and lawn bowling, and, of course, views of the Fundy tides.

Kouchibouguac National Park, at Kouchibouguac on the north coast, boasts the warmest swimming water in the Atlantic north of Virginia. Open year round, the park offers camping, biking, hiking, and bird watching in the summer. In the winter, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and kick-sledding are popular.

The Fundy Isles (Grand Manan, Campobello, and Deer Island) offer many campgrounds. The Old Sow, the world's largest whirlpool, can be seen from Deer Island. The vacation home of United States president Franklin Delano Roosevelt is maintained as a museum on Campobello Island. Rare plants, such as sedges, ferns, wild coffee, and the purple violet, flourish in the uplands.

Climate: Much of New Brunswick's climate is a typical continental climate with cold, snowy winters and warm-to-hot summers. New Brunswick receives the most snow of the Maritime Provinces, particularly in the northwest region.

Areas near the coast, such as Saint John, receive less snow but more total precipitation. Spring and early summer tend to be dry, but there is plenty of rain during the growing season. The Saint John River has a long history of flooding, especially in the Fredericton area.

The coastal areas are more influenced by the ocean, but most are not true marine climates. However, one aspect of a marine climate is fog, and the waters off the Bay of Fundy are among the foggiest places in the world.

Though high winds are common, tornadoes are rare. Fredericton's average temperature is about −10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) in January and 19.3 degrees Celsius (67 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.

Economy

The New Brunswick economy has always depended on its natural resources. The mainstay industry is forestry, which contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to gross domestic product (GDP) annually. Manufacturing jobs are mostly seasonal, with food and beverages are the major products. Other important products include wood, paper, fabricated metals, and machinery.

Mining is also a major contributor to GDP and employs thousands of people. The primary products are metals (antimony, bismuth, cadmium, copper, gold, lead, silver, and zinc), nonmetals (marl, peat moss, potash), coal, and construction materials (lime, sand and gravel, stone).

While fisheries have declined in significance, seafood still accounted for an estimated annual export value of C$1.7 billion in 2018, second-highest among Canadian provinces. The industry employs thousands of fishermen and 4,400 plant workers. Salmon, lobster, snow crab, shrimp, and herring are the most commonly caught and exported. With wild fish populations declining, aquaculture is becoming more important.

Tourism: According to the New Brunswick government, in 2017 tourism accounted for over 42,000 jobs in the province and over $520 million in GDP. Visitor spending was estimated at $1.3 billion annually. The most popular tourist spots include Magnetic Hill in Moncton, the Reversing Falls of Saint John, and the Flowerpot Rocks, carved by the world's highest tides, in the Bay of Fundy.

In addition to the two national parks and its international park on Campobello Island, New Brunswick has nine provincial parks. Some farms offer one-week "farm vacations." Among the many scenic drives throughout the province are the River Valley Scenic Drive, Fundy Coastal Drive, Acadian Coastal Drive, Appalachian Range Route, and Miramichi River Route. Other popular tourist activities include horseback riding, golf, fishing, and hunting.

Agriculture: Agriculture has also declined in importance but continues to be a major factor in New Brunswick's economy. Potatoes, dairy products, eggs, and poultry lead the agricultural production of the province. Potatoes are by far the single largest crop, and seed potatoes are a significant export.

Other crops include strawberries, vegetables, wild blueberries, and apples. Livestock are primarily dairy cows and poultry. New Brunswick raises most of its own livestock feed for dairy, egg, and poultry production.

Transportation: Approximately 20,620 kilometers (12,815 miles) of roads and highways crisscross the province. New Brunswick is also served by 1,097 kilometers (682 miles) of mainline railroads.

Saint John, the terminus of a national railroad, is also a major seaport. When it is free of ice, Saint John handles the majority of New Brunswick's imports and exports.

The province's busiest airport is in Moncton, but major airports are also located in Fredericton and Saint John.

Government & History

Government: The nominal head of state for the province of New Brunswick is the lieutenant governor, appointed by the prime minister, usually for five years.

True power is held by the premier, who is generally the leader of the strongest party in the provincial legislature. The parliamentary government consists of a unicameral legislative assembly, with fifty-five legislators who are elected for up to five years. The premier chooses executive council (cabinet) ministers from among the legislators. The legislative assembly can be dissolved before the five-year term expires.

The federal government appoints ten senators-for-life to represent the province in the national Parliament of Canada. In addition, ten members elected by the House of Commons represent the province in that body.

The two major parties in the province are the Liberal Party and the Progressive Conservative Party.

History: New Brunswick's first European settlers were French explorers. Jacques Cartier is credited with being the first European visitor, in 1534. He was followed by Samuel de Champlain and Pierre du Guast, sieur de Monts. These men established a settlement that was abandoned after a year, but in 1631, the French built Fort La Tour. Establishment of the fort opened the area to colonists, who settled in the coastal area along the Bay of Fundy.

Present-day New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were called Acadia by the French and Nova Scotia by the British. The two nations both claimed the territory, and occasional wars resulted. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht (which ended the War of the Spanish Succession) awarded the region to Great Britain. The French insisted the territory was not part of the peace agreement and resisted British settlement.

In 1755, the British defeated the French at Fort Beausejour. Claiming that the Acadians could not be trusted, Britain expelled them from the territory. Some of the displaced Acadians settled in Louisiana, where their descendants are now called Cajuns. Others fled to the interior of what is now New Brunswick. Today, about 30,000 Acadians live in New Brunswick.

Within a few years, the British had established their first settlement at what is now Saint John. During and after the American Revolution, thousands of Loyalists fled to New Brunswick. One group from neighboring Castine, Maine, dismantled their houses, brought them to Canada on barges and reassembled them, establishing the town of St. Andrews. The houses can still be seen in the main section of the town, which has been designated a national historic district.

New Brunswick was formally separated from Nova Scotia in 1784 and began to be administered as a colony in its own right. British immigrants coming to the colony after the Napoleonic Wars engaged in fishing, shipbuilding, and lumbering. The colony prospered.

In 1867, New Brunswick became one of the first four provinces of Canada, joining with Lower Canada (Quebec), Upper Canada (Ontario), and Nova Scotia to form the Dominion of Canada.

Trivia

• The Bay of Fundy has the world's highest and most violent tides, rising to more than 28 feet at Saint John. Here, the inrushing tidewater collides with the water in the Saint John River, forcing the stream to flow back up over the rocks, creating the famous Reversing Falls.
• Malabeam Waterfall, which drops 75 feet at Grand Falls, is the largest waterfall east of Niagara. According to legend, Malabeam, a young Maliseet woman, was captured by the Iroquois and ordered to lead them to her village. Instead, she led them to their deaths (and hers) over the falls. During the annual Potato Festival, celebrants send boatloads of flowers over the falls to honor her sacrifice.
• At 1,282 feet, the Hartland Covered Bridge across the Saint John River is the longest covered bridge in the world.
• The clipper ship Marco Polo, "the fastest ship in the world," was built in and sailed out of New Brunswick.

Bibliography

Forbes, Ernest R. "New Brunswick." The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada, 27 Jan. 2021, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/new-brunswick/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2021.

Laxer, James. The Acadians: In Search of a Homeland. Anchor Canada, 2007.

"The Mi'kmaq." Cape Breton University, www.cbu.ca/indigenous-affairs/mikmaq-resource-centre/the-mikmaq/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2021.

New Brunswick: Your Official 2015 Travel Guide. Dept. of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, 2015.

"Overview." Government of New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada, www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/gateways/about‗nb/overview.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2021.

"Population Estimates, Quarterly." Statistics Canada, 29 Sept. 2021, www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1710000901. Accessed 11 Nov. 2021.

Rees, Ronald.New Brunswick: An Illustrated History. Nimbus, 2014.