All Topics  
New Brunswick

 
New Brunswick

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

New Brunswick



 
 
New Brunswick ( /nuvob??nzwik/) is one of Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally
Constitution of Canada

The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law in Canada; the country's constitution is an amalgamation of codified Act of Parliaments and uncodified constitution traditions and constitutional convention s....
 bilingual province (French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 and English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
) in the federation. The provincial capital is Fredericton. Statistics Canada estimates the provincial population in 2008 to be 747,302; a majority are English-speaking, but there is also a large Francophone minority (32%), chiefly of Acadian
Acadian

The Acadians are the descendants of the seventeenth-century France French colonial empires who settled in Acadia . Although today most of the Acadians and Qu?b?cois are francophone Canadians, Acadia was founded in a geographically separate region from Quebec leading to their two distinct cultures....
 origin.

The province's name comes from the English and French translation for the city of Braunschweig
Braunschweig

Braunschweig , known as Brunswiek in Low German, is a city of 245,810 people , located in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
 in north Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, the ancestral home of the Hanoverian
House of Hanover

The House of Hanover is a Germanic peoples Royal family dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-L?neburg , the Kingdom of Hanover and the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland....
 King George III of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.

Brunswick is bounded on the north by Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
's Gaspé
Gaspé

Gasp? is* Gasp?, Quebec, a city* Gasp? , a provincial electoral district in Quebec* Gasp? Peninsula, a peninsula where both the city and district are located...
 Peninsula and by Chaleur Bay
Chaleur Bay

Chaleur Bay is an arm of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence separating Quebec's Gasp? Peninsula from New Brunswick's North Shore.It bathes 120 km of the northeastern shore of New Brunswick and most of the Gasp?sie's south shore....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'New Brunswick'
Start a new discussion about 'New Brunswick'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


New Brunswick ( /nuvob??nzwik/) is one of Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally
Constitution of Canada

The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law in Canada; the country's constitution is an amalgamation of codified Act of Parliaments and uncodified constitution traditions and constitutional convention s....
 bilingual province (French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 and English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
) in the federation. The provincial capital is Fredericton. Statistics Canada estimates the provincial population in 2008 to be 747,302; a majority are English-speaking, but there is also a large Francophone minority (32%), chiefly of Acadian
Acadian

The Acadians are the descendants of the seventeenth-century France French colonial empires who settled in Acadia . Although today most of the Acadians and Qu?b?cois are francophone Canadians, Acadia was founded in a geographically separate region from Quebec leading to their two distinct cultures....
 origin.

The province's name comes from the English and French translation for the city of Braunschweig
Braunschweig

Braunschweig , known as Brunswiek in Low German, is a city of 245,810 people , located in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
 in north Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, the ancestral home of the Hanoverian
House of Hanover

The House of Hanover is a Germanic peoples Royal family dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-L?neburg , the Kingdom of Hanover and the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland....
 King George III of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.

Geography

New Brunswick is bounded on the north by Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
's Gaspé
Gaspé

Gasp? is* Gasp?, Quebec, a city* Gasp? , a provincial electoral district in Quebec* Gasp? Peninsula, a peninsula where both the city and district are located...
 Peninsula and by Chaleur Bay
Chaleur Bay

Chaleur Bay is an arm of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence separating Quebec's Gasp? Peninsula from New Brunswick's North Shore.It bathes 120 km of the northeastern shore of New Brunswick and most of the Gasp?sie's south shore....
. Along the east coast, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence

Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean....
 and Northumberland Strait
Northumberland Strait

File:Northumberland Strait map.pngThe Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada....
 form the boundaries. In the southeast corner of the province, the narrow Isthmus of Chignecto
Isthmus of Chignecto

The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Canadian Maritimes provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia which connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America....
 connects New Brunswick to the Nova Scotia peninsula
Nova Scotia peninsula

The Nova Scotia peninsula* is a peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America....
. The south of the province is bounded by the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a Headlands and bays on the Atlantic Ocean coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canada Provinces of Canada of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the United States U.S....
, which, with a rise of 16 metres (50 feet), has the highest tides in the world. To the west, the province borders the U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
 of Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
.

New Brunswick differs from the other Maritime provinces physiographically, climatologically, and ethnoculturally. Both Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is a Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada....
 and Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canada Provinces and territories of Canada consisting of an island of the same name. The Maritimes is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population ....
 are either wholly or almost completely surrounded by water; oceanic effects, therefore, tend to define their climate, economy, and culture. On the other hand, New Brunswick—although it has a significant seacoast—is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean proper and has a large interior that is removed from oceanic influences. As a result, the climate tends to be more continental in character rather than maritime. The settlement patterns and the economy of New Brunswick also are different from its Maritime neighbours in that they are based more on the province's river systems rather than its seacoasts.

The major river systems of the province include the St. Croix River
St. Croix River

The St. Croix River may refer to several rivers in North America:*The St. Croix River that forms part of the international boundary between Maine and New Brunswick...
, Saint John River, Kennebecasis River
Kennebecasis River

The Kennebecasis River, pronounced ke-ne-buh-KAY-sis, is located in southern New Brunswick, Canada. It runs for approximately 97 kilometres, draining an area in the Caledonia Highlands , inland from the Bay of Fundy....
, Petitcodiac River
Petitcodiac River

The Petitcodiac River is a Canada river located in southeastern New Brunswick.Because of its colour, it is often nicknamed the "Chocolate River"....
, Miramichi River
Miramichi River

The Miramichi River is a Canada river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St....
, Nepisiguit River
Nepisiguit River

The Nepisiguit River is a major river in New Brunswick, Canada. The source of the river lies north of the Christmas Mountains, in the rugged terrain between Mount Carleton, and Big Bald Mountain ....
, and the Restigouche River
Restigouche River

The Restigouche River is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec....
. Northern New Brunswick lies within the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains or , often called the Appalachians, are a vast mountain range in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians....
, and the New Brunswick Lowlands form the eastern and central portions of the province. The Caledonia Highlands and St. Croix Highlands extend along the Bay of Fundy coastal region, reaching elevations of more than 300 metres (1,000 feet). The northwestern part of the province consists of the remote and more rugged Miramichi Highlands as well as the Chaleur Uplands and the Notre Dame Mountains, with a maximum elevation at Mount Carleton
Mount Carleton

Mount Carleton, in Mount Carleton Provincial Park, is the highest elevation in the Canada province of New Brunswick, and is also the highest peak in the Canadian Maritime Provinces....
 of 817 metres (2,680 feet). The total land and water area of the province is 72,908 km² (28,150 sq mi), over 80% of which is forested. Agricultural lands are found mostly in the upper Saint John River valley, with lesser amounts of farmland in the southeast of the province, especially in the Kennebecasis and Petitcodiac river valleys. The three major urban centres are in the southern third of the province.

History

First Nations People have lived in New Brunswick since before contact with Europeans. Many are called Míkmaq
Mi'kmaq

The M?kmaq , traditionally spelled Micmac in English, but Mi?kmaq by the M?kmaq of Nova Scotia, Miigmaq by the M?kmaq of New Brunswick, Mi?gmaq by the Listuguj Council in Quebec, or M?gmaq in some native literature, are a First Nations people, indigenous to northeastern New England, Canada's Atlantic Provin...
, a possessive form indicating awareness of their spiritual and collective unity. The concept roughly translates as "my skin friends." The Augustine mound was built during this time, in 2500 BC, near Metepnákiaq (Red Bank First Nation
Red Bank First Nation

Metepenagiag is a Mi'kmaq First Nation community comprising four reserves centred at Red Bank, New Brunswick, approximately 20 km west of Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada....
).

The French Colonial era

The first known exploration of New Brunswick was that of French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 explorer Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier was a French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he Name of Canada", after the Iroquoian languages word the local natives used for the two big St....
 in 1534. The next French contact was in 1604, when a party led by Pierre Dugua (Sieur de Monts) and Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain, , , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, geographer, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, ethnologist, diplomat, chronicler, and the founder of Quebec City on July 3, 1608, of which he was the administrator for the rest of his life....
 set up camp for the winter on St.Croix Island
Saint Croix Island, Maine

Saint Croix Island , long known to locals as Dochet Island, is a small uninhabited island in Maine near the mouth of the St. Croix River that forms part of the International Boundary separating Maine from New Brunswick....
, between New Brunswick and Maine. The colony relocated the following year across the Bay of Fundy to Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal, Nova Scotia

Port Royal is a small rural community in the western part of the Canada province of Nova Scotia. It is located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, near the town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia....
. Over the next 150 years, other French settlements and seigneuries
Seigneurial system of New France

The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudalism system of land distribution used in the French colonial empire of New France....
 were founded along the St. John River, the upper Bay of Fundy region, in the Tantramar Marshes
Tantramar Marshes

The Tantramar Marshes are a National Wildlife Area on the southern part of the Isthmus of Chignecto, which joins Nova Scotia to New Brunswick and the Canadian mainland....
 at Beaubassin, and finally at St. Pierre (site of present day Bathurst
Bathurst, New Brunswick

Bathurst is a Canada city in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.Bathurst is situated on Bathurst Harbour, an estuary at the mouth of the Nepisiguit River at the southernmost part of Chaleur Bay....
). The whole maritime region (as well as parts of Maine) were at that time proclaimed to be part of the French colony Acadia.

One of the provisions of the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht

The Treaty of Utrecht that established the Peace of Utrecht, rather than a single document, comprises a series of individual peace treaty signed in the Dutch Republic city of Utrecht in March and April 1713....
 of 1713 was the surrender of peninsular Nova Scotia to the British
Kingdom of Great Britain

The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a country in North-West Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801....
. The bulk of the Acadian population found themselves residing in the new British colony of Nova Scotia; the remainder of Acadia (including the New Brunswick region) was only lightly populated and poorly defended. In 1750, in order to protect their territorial interests in what remained of Acadia, France built two forts (Fort Beausejour
Fort Beauséjour

Fort Beaus?jour, also referred to as Fort Cumberland, is a National Historic Site located in Aulac, New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada. It is approximately eight kilometres east of the town of Sackville, New Brunswick on a ridge overlooking the Tantramar Marshes....
 and Fort Gaspareaux
Fort Gaspareaux

Fort Gaspareaux was a French fort at the head of Baie Verte near the mouth of the Gaspareaux River and just southeast of the modern village of Port Elgin, New Brunswick, Canada....
) along the frontier with Nova Scotia at either end of the Isthmus of Chignecto
Isthmus of Chignecto

The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Canadian Maritimes provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia which connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America....
. A major French fortification (Fortress Louisbourg) was also built on Ile Royale, but the function of this fort was mostly to defend the approaches to the colony of Canada
Canada, New France

Canada was the name of the French colonization of the Americas that once stretched along the Saint Lawrence River; the other colonies of New France were Acadia, Louisiana and Colony of Newfoundland....
, not Acadia.

As part of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War lasted between 1756?1763 and involved all of the major European powers of the period. The war pitted Kingdom of Prussia and Kingdom of Great Britain and a coalition of smaller German states against an alliance consisting of Archduchy of Austria, Early Modern France, Russian Empire, Kingdom of Sweden, and Electorate of Sa...
 (1756–63), the British extended their control to include all of New Brunswick. Fort Beausejour (near Sackville
Sackville, New Brunswick

Sackville is a Canada town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town. Historically home to two foundries manufacturing stoves and furnaces, the economy is now driven by the university and tourism....
) was captured by a British force commanded by Lt. Col. Robert Monckton
Robert Monckton

Robert Monckton was an Officer of the British army and a colonial Administration in British North America. Despite having an illustrious military and political career, Monckton's greatest notoriety is for his role in the Grand D?rangement of the Acadians from Nova Scotia because of their continual refusal to swear an oath of loyalty to the...
 in 1755; Acadians of the nearby Beaubassin and Petitcodiac
Petitcodiac

Petitcodiac may mean:* Petitcodiac River, a river in the Canadian province of New Brunswick* Petitcodiac, New Brunswick, a village in New Brunswick...
 regions were subsequently expelled in the Great Upheaval
Great Upheaval

The Great Upheaval, also known as the Great Expulsion, The Deportation, the Acadian Expulsion, or to the deportees, Le Grand D?rangement, was the ethnic cleansing of the Acadian population from Nova Scotia between 1755 and 1763, ordered by British Empire governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council....
. Some of the Acadians in the Petitcodiac and Memramcook region escaped, and under the leadership of Joseph Broussard
Joseph Broussard

Joseph Broussard, also known as Beausoleil, was a leader of the Acadian people in Acadia; later Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.He was born in Port Royal, Nova Scotia in 1702 but he lived much of his life along the Petitcodiac River....
 continued to conduct guerrilla action
Guerrilla warfare

Guerrilla warfare is the Irregular warfare warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile Military tactics to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
 against the British forces for a couple of years. Other actions in the war included British expeditions up the St. John River in both 1758 and 1759. Fort Anne (Fredericton) fell during the 1759 campaign, and following this, all of present-day New Brunswick came under British control.

The British Colonial era

After the Seven Years' War, most of New Brunswick (and parts of Maine) were absorbed into the colony of Nova Scotia and designated Sunbury County. New Brunswick's relative location away from the Atlantic coastline hindered settlement during the postwar period, although there were a few exceptions, such as the coming of New England Planters
New England Planters

The New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor and subsequently governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Acadian Expulsion of 1755....
 to the Sackville region and the arrival of Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch

The Pennsylvania Dutch are the descendants of German people immigrants who came to Pennsylvania prior to 1800. According to Don Yoder, a Pennsylvania German expert and retired University of Pennsylvania professor, the word "Dutch" in this case owes its origin to an archaic meaning where it designated groups that are today considered Ger...
 settlers in Moncton in 1766.

The American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , also known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Thirteen Colonies on the North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers....
 had little effect on the New Brunswick region, aside from an attack on Fort Cumberland
Battle of Fort Cumberland

The Battle of Fort Cumberland was an attempt by a small number of militia commanded by Jonathan Eddy to bring the American Revolutionary War to Nova Scotia in late 1776....
 (the renamed Fort Beausejour) by rebel sympathizers led by Jonathan Eddy
Jonathan Eddy

Jonathan Eddy, , was a resident of Nova Scotia during the time of the American Revolutionary War. He was considered by some to be a radical as he strongly encouraged the residents of Nova Scotia to join their American brothers in open revolt against the King George III and England and to become the fourteenth colony to sign the United States...
. Significant population growth came when 14,000 refugee Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists

The name United Empire Loyalists is a honorific name which has been given after the fact to those Loyalist who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to George III of the United Kingdom after the Kingdom of Great Britain defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris ....
 from the United States arrived on the Saint John River in 1783. Influential Loyalists such as Harvard-educated Edward Winslow saw themselves as the natural leaders of their communities, that they should be recognized for their rank and that their loyalty deserved special compensation. However they were not appreciated by the settlers in Nova Scotia. As Colonel Thomas Dundas wrote from Saint John, "They [the loyalists] have experienced every possible injury from the old inhabitants of Nova Scotia." Therefore 55 prominent merchants and professionals petitioned for 5,000-acre grants each. Winslow pressed for the creation of a Loyalist colony—an asylum that could become "the envy of the American states". Nova Scotia was therefore partitioned, and the colony of New Brunswick was created on August 16, 1784; Sir Thomas Carleton
Thomas Carleton

Thomas Carleton was an army officer and Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick.Born in Ireland to Christoper Carleton and his wife Catherine Ball, he was the younger brother of Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester....
 was appointed as Lieutenant Governor in 1784, and in 1785 a new assembly was established with the first elections.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, some of the deported Acadians from Nova Scotia found their way back to "Acadie," where they settled mostly along the eastern and northern shores of the new colony of New Brunswick. Here, they lived in relative (and in many ways, self-imposed) isolation.

Other immigration to New Brunswick in the early part of the 19th century was from Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
; western England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
; and Waterford, Ireland, often after first having come through (or having lived in) Newfoundland. A large influx of settlers arrived in New Brunswick after 1845 from Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
 as a result of the Potato Famine; many of these people settled in Saint John or Chatham
Chatham, New Brunswick

Chatham is a Canada urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, Chatham was an incorporated town in Northumberland County, New Brunswick along the south bank of the Miramichi River opposite Douglastown, New Brunswick....
.

The northwestern border between Maine and New Brunswick had not been clearly defined by the Treaty of Paris (1783)
Treaty of Paris (1783)

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784 and by the King of Great Britain on April 9, 1784 , formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and United States, which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775....
 that had ended the Revolutionary War. By the late 1830s, population growth and competing lumber interests in the area created the need for a definite boundary. In the winter of 1838–39, the situation quickly deteriorated, with both Maine and New Brunswick calling out their respective militias. The "Aroostook War
Aroostook War

The Aroostook War was an undeclared confrontation in 1838-39 between the United States and Great Britain over the international boundary between British North America and Maine....
" was bloodless, and the boundary was subsequently settled by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty
Webster-Ashburton Treaty

The Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty resolving several border issues between the United States and the Canada under British Imperial control , particularly a dispute over the location of the Maine-New Brunswick border....
 of 1842.

Throughout the 19th century, shipbuilding
Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding is the construction of ships. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, originally called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history....
, both on the Bay of Fundy shore and also on the Miramichi River
Miramichi River

The Miramichi River is a Canada river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St....
, was the dominant industry in New Brunswick; the Marco Polo
Marco Polo (ship)

The Marco Polo was a 3-masted wooden clipper ship, launched in 1851 at Saint John, New Brunswick, New Brunswick. She was named after Venice explorer Marco Polo....
, the fastest clipper ship ever built, was launched from Saint John in 1851. Resource-based industries such as logging and farming were also important components of the New Brunswick economy.

A Canadian province

New Brunswick, one of the four original provinces of Canada, entered the Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federalism Dominion of Canada was formed beginning July 1, 1867 from the provinces, colony and Territory of British North America....
 on July 1, 1867. The Charlottetown Conference
Charlottetown Conference

The Charlottetown Conference was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Prince Edward Island for representatives from the colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation....
 of 1864, which ultimately led to the confederation movement, originally had been intended to discuss only a Maritime Union
Maritime Union

A Maritime Union refers to a potential political union of the three Maritimes provinces of Canada to form a single new province which would be the fifth-largest in Canada by population....
, but concerns over the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
 as well as Fenian
Fenian

The Fenians, both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood, were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the nineteenth and early twentieth century....
 activity along the border led to an interest in expanding the scope of the proposed union. This interest in an expanded union arose from the Province of Canada
Province of Canada

The Province of Canada or the United Province of Canada was a British North America#BNA colonies after the American Revolution: in North America from 1841 to 1867....
 (formerly Upper
Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario in Canada. Upper Canada officially existed from 26 December 1791 to 10 February 1841 and generally comprised present-day Southern Ontario and, until 1797, the Upper Peninsula of what is now part of the U.S....
 and Lower Canada
Lower Canada

The Province of Lower Canada was a British colonization of the Americas on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence ....
, later Ontario
Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
 and Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
), and a request was made by the Canadian political leaders to the organizers of the Maritime conference to have the meeting agenda altered. Although the Maritime leaders were swayed by the arguments of the Canadians, many ordinary residents of the Maritimes wanted no part of this larger confederation for fear that their interests and concerns would be ignored in a wider national union. Many politicians who supported confederation, such as Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley
Samuel Leonard Tilley

Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of St. Michael and St. George was a Canada politician and one of the Father of Confederation#Fathers of Confederation....
 (New Brunswick's best-known Father of Confederation), found themselves without a seat after the next election; nevertheless, backers of the wider confederation eventually prevailed.

Following confederation, the fears of the anti-confederates were proven correct as new national policies and trade barriers were soon adopted by the central government, thus disrupting the historic trading relationship between the Maritime Provinces and New England
New England

New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country, bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and New York State, and consisting of the modern U.S....
. The situation in New Brunswick was exacerbated by both the Great Fire of 1877 in Saint John and the decline of the wooden shipbuilding industry; skilled workers were thus forced to move to other parts of Canada or to the United States to seek employment. As the 20th century dawned, however, the province's economy again began to expand. Manufacturing gained strength with the construction of several textile mills; and in the crucial forestry sector, the sawmills
Sawmills

Sawmills may refer to;* A sawmill, a facility where logs are cut to length* Sawmills Studio, a famous UK music recording studio...
 that had dotted inland sections of the province gave way to larger pulp and paper
Pulp and Paper

Pulp and Paper is the name of the largest United States-based trade magazine for the pulp and paper industry.See also: Paper engineering, Pulp and Paper Merit Badge...
 mills. The railway industry, meanwhile, provided for growth and prosperity in the Moncton region. Nevertheless, unemployment remained high throughout the province, and the Great Depression
Great Depression

File:International depression.pngThe Great Depression was a worldwide economic Recession starting in most places in 1929 and ending at different times in the 1930s or early 1940s for different countries....
 brought another setback. Two influential families, the Irvings and the McCains, emerged from the Depression to begin to modernise and vertically integrate
Vertical integration

In microeconomics and management, the term vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies are united through a hierarchy with a common owner....
 the provincial economy—especially in the vital forestry, food processing, and energy sectors.

The Acadians in northern New Brunswick had long been geographically and linguistically isolated from the more numerous English-speakers, who lived in the south of the province. Government services were often not available in French, and the infrastructure in predominantly Francophone areas was noticeably less developed than in the rest of the province; this changed with the election of Premier Louis Robichaud
Louis Robichaud

Louis Joseph Robichaud, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of Canada, Queen's Counsel , popularly known as "Little Louis" or "P'tit-Louis" , was a Canada lawyer and politician....
 in 1960. He embarked on the ambitious Equal Opportunity
Equal opportunity

Equal opportunity is a term which has differing definitions and there is no consensus as to the precise meaning. Some use it as a descriptive term for an approach intended to provide a certain social environment in which people are not excluded from the activities of society, such as education, employment, or health care, on the basis of immu...
 Plan, in which education, rural road maintenance, and health care fell under the sole jurisdiction of a provincial government that insisted on equal coverage of all areas of the province. County councils were abolished, and the rural areas came under direct provincial jurisdiction. The 1969 Official Languages Act
Official Languages Act

Official Language Act or Official Languages Act can refer to:* the Official Languages Act passed in Canada to enshrine official bilingualism....
 made French an official language.

Demographics


Ethnicity

First Nations in New Brunswick include the Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq

The M?kmaq , traditionally spelled Micmac in English, but Mi?kmaq by the M?kmaq of Nova Scotia, Miigmaq by the M?kmaq of New Brunswick, Mi?gmaq by the Listuguj Council in Quebec, or M?gmaq in some native literature, are a First Nations people, indigenous to northeastern New England, Canada's Atlantic Provin...
 and Wolastoqiyik
Wolastoqiyik

Wolastoqiyik is the proper name for the Maliseet people. They named themselves after the Wolastoq River, now commonly known as the Saint John River , on which their territory and existence were centered....
 (Maliseet). The first European settlers, the Acadians, are today survivors of the Great Expulsion (1755), which drove several thousand French residents into exile in North America, Britain, and France for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to King George III during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War

The French and Indian War was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, known in Canada as the War of the Conquest. The name refers to the two main enemies of the British: the royal French forces and the various Indigenous peoples of the Americas forces allied with them....
. American Acadians, who were deported to Louisiana
Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
, are referred to as Cajuns.

Much of the English-Canadian population of New Brunswick is descended from Loyalists who fled the American Revolution. This is commemorated in the province's motto, Spem reduxit ("hope was restored"). There is also a significant population with Irish ancestry, especially in Saint John and the Miramichi Valley
Miramichi Valley

The Miramichi Valley is a Canada river valley located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. It extends along both major branches of the Miramichi River and their tributaries, however it is generally agreed that the much larger Southwest Miramichi River forms the majority of this region as it is more settled than the Northwest Miramich...
. People of Scottish descent are scattered throughout the province, with higher concentrations in the Miramichi and in Campbellton.

In the 2001 Canadian census, the most commonly reported ethnicities were 193,470 French (26.9%); 165,235 English (23.0%); 135,835 Irish
Irish Canadian

Irish Canadians are immigrants and descendants of immigrants who origninated in Ireland. The 2006 census by Statcan, Canada's Official Statistical office revealed that the Irish people were the 4th largest ethnic group with 4,354,155 Canadians with full or partial Irish descent or 14% of the nation's total population....
 (18.9%); 127,635 Scottish
Scottish Canadian

Scottish Canadians are people of Scottish descent or cultural heritage living in Canada. As the third-largest ethnic group in Canada and among the first to settle in Canada, Scottish people have made a large impact on Canadian culture since colonial times....
 (17.7%); 27,490 German
German-Canadian

German Canadians are Canada of ethnic German ancestry. The 2006 Canadian census put the number of Canadians of Germans ethnicity at 3,179,425....
 (3.8%); 26,220 Acadians (3.6%); 23,815 "North American Indian" (First Nations)
First Nations

First Nations is a term of ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor M?tis people....
 (3.3%); 13,355 Dutch (Netherlands) (1.9%); and 7,620 Welsh (1.1%). It should be noted that 242,220 people (33.7%) identified themselves as simply "Canadian"
English Canadian

An English Canadian is a Canada whose principal language is English language or who is of English people; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian....
 or "Canadien," while 173,585 (24.1%) also selected another ethnicity—for a total of 415,810 (57.8%) calling themselves Canadian
Demographics of Canada

This article is about the demographics features of the population of Canada, including population density, Ethnic group, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
. (Each person could choose more than one ethnicity.)

Population since 1851

YearPopulationFive Year
% change
Ten Year
% change
Rank Among
Provinces
1851 500n/a n/a 4
1861 252,047 n/a 30.0 4
1871 285,594 n/a 13.3 4
1881 321,233 n/a 12.5 4
1891 321,263 n/a 0.0 4
1901 331,120 n/a 3.1 4
1911 351,889 n/a 6.3 8
1921 387,876 n/a 10.2 8
1931 408,219 n/a 5.2 8
1941 457,401 n/a 12.0 8
1951 515,697 n/a 12.7 8
1956 554,616 7.5 n/a 8
1961 597,936 7.8 15.9 8
1966 616,788 3.2 11.2 8
1971 634,560 2.9 6.9 8
1976 677,250 6.7 9.8 8
1981 696,403 2.8 9.7 8
1986 709,445 1.9 4.8 8
1991 723,900 2.0 3.9 8
1996 738,133 2.0 4.0 8
2001 729,498
0.8 8
2006 729,997 0.1
8

Languages

The 2006 Canadian census
Canada 2006 Census

The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the Canada 2011 Census....
 showed a population of 729,997. Of the 708,145 singular responses to the census question concerning "mother tongue," the most commonly reported languages were:
1.English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
464.83%
2.French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
232,97532.61%
3.Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq

The M?kmaq , traditionally spelled Micmac in English, but Mi?kmaq by the M?kmaq of Nova Scotia, Miigmaq by the M?kmaq of New Brunswick, Mi?gmaq by the Listuguj Council in Quebec, or M?gmaq in some native literature, are a First Nations people, indigenous to northeastern New England, Canada's Atlantic Provin...
2,5150.35%
4.Chinese
Chinese language

Chinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of language mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan languages of languages....
2,1600.30%
5.German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
1,9350.27%
6.Dutch
Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic languages spoken by over 22 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as a second language."1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language speakers of Dutch is very small. Most native...
1,2900.18%
7.Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
1,0400.15%
8.Arabic
Arabic language

Arabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages languages such as Hebrew language and Aramaic language....
9700.14%
9.Korean
Korean language

Korean is the official language of North Korea and South Korea. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China....
6300.09%
10.Italian
Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
5900.08%
11.Malecite4900.07%
12.Persian
Persian language

name=Persian|nativename=|pronunciation=[f??r'si]|image=|caption=Farsi in Perso-Arabic script |states= Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain....
4600.06%
In addition, there were 560 responses of both English and a "nonofficial language"; 120 of both French and a nonofficial language; 4,450 of both English and French; 30 of English, French, and a nonofficial language; and about 10,300 people who either did not respond to the question, reported multiple nonofficial languages, or gave some other unenumerated response. New Brunswick's official languages are shown in bold. Figures shown are for the number of single-language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.

Religion

The largest denominations by number of adherents according to the 2001 census were the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
, with 385,985 (54%); Baptists
Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches

Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches - an association of Baptist in the eastern provinces of Canada.The Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces was founded in 1846....
, with 80,490 (11%); the United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada

The United Church of Canada, one of the largest Christian churches in Canada, is an evangelical Protestant denomination with strong Methodist and Presbyterian roots....
, with 69,235 (10%); the Anglicans
Anglican Church of Canada

The Anglican Church of Canada is the sole Canada representative of the Anglican Communion. The official French name is l'?glise Anglicane du Canada....
, with 58,215; the Pentecostals with 20,155 (3%).

Economy

New Brunswick's urban areas have modern, service-based economies dominated by the health care, educational, retail, finance, and insurance sectors. These sectors are reasonably equitably distributed in all three principal urban centres. In addition, heavy industry and port facilities are found in Saint John; Fredericton is dominated by government services, universities, and the military; and Moncton has developed as a commercial, retail, transportation, and distribution centre with important rail and air terminal facilities.

The rural primary economy is best known for forestry
Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
, mining
Mining

Mining is the extraction of value minerals or other geology materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, Sodium chloride and potash....
, mixed farming, and fishing
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
.

Forestry is important in all areas of the province, but especially in the heavily forested central regions. There are many sawmills in the smaller towns and several large pulp and paper mills located in Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 68,043....
, Miramichi
Miramichi, New Brunswick

Miramichi is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay....
, Nackawic, and Edmundston.

Heavy metals, including lead
Lead

Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....
 and zinc
Zinc

Zinc is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a first-row transition metal of the group 12 element of the periodic table....
, are mined in the north around Bathurst
Bathurst, New Brunswick

Bathurst is a Canada city in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.Bathurst is situated on Bathurst Harbour, an estuary at the mouth of the Nepisiguit River at the southernmost part of Chaleur Bay....
. One of the world's largest potash
Potash

Potash is the common name given to potassium carbonate and various mined and manufactured salts that contain the element potassium in water-soluble form....
 deposits is located in Sussex
Sussex, New Brunswick

Sussex is a Canada town in Kings County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.Sussex straddles the Kennebecasis River, 70 km northeast of Saint John, New Brunswick, is a major dairy products producer in the province, and is home to Atlantic Canada's largest hot air balloon festival....
; a second potash mine, costing over a billion dollars, is in development in the Sussex region. Natural gas deposits are also being developed in the Sussex region.

Farming is concentrated in the upper Saint John River valley (in the northwest portion of the province), where the most valuable crop is potatoes. Mixed and dairy farms are found elsewhere, but especially in the southeast, concentrated in the Kennebecasis and Petitcodiac river valleys.

The most valuable fish catches are lobster
American lobster

The American lobster, Homarus americanus, is one species of lobster found on the Atlantic Ocean of North America. Within North America, it is also known as the northern lobster, Atlantic lobster or Maine lobster....
, scallop
Scallop

A scallop is a Marine bivalve mollusk of the Family Pectinidae. Scallops are a wiktionary:cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans....
s and king crab
King crab

King crabs, also called stone crabs, are a family of crab-like Decapoda crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their flesh, many species are widely caught and sold as food....
. The farming of Atlantic salmon
Atlantic salmon

Atlantic salmon, known scientifically as Salmo salar, is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the Atlantic and the Pacific....
 in the Passamaquoddy Bay
Passamaquoddy Bay

Passamaquoddy Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the USA U.S. state of Maine and the Canada Provinces of Canada of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St....
 region is an important local industry.

The largest employers in the province are the Irving group of companies, several large multinational forest companies, the government of New Brunswick, and the McCain group of companies.

Tourism

Some of the province's tourist attractions include the New Brunswick Museum
New Brunswick Museum

The New Brunswick Museum, located in Saint John, New Brunswick is Canada's oldest continuing museum. The New Brunswick Museum was officially incorporated as the "Provincial Museum" in 1929 and received its current name in 1930, but its history goes back much further....
, Kouchibouguac National Park
Kouchibouguac National Park

?Kouchibouguac National Park is located on the east coast of New Brunswick, north of the town of Richibucto, New Brunswick. The park includes barrier islands, sand dunes, lagoons, salt marshes and forests....
, Mactaquac Provincial Park
Mactaquac Provincial Park

Mactaquac Provincial Park is a Canada provincial park with an area of 5.25 km? . It is located on the Saint John River 15 kilometres west of Fredericton, New Brunswick, New Brunswick in the community of Mactaquac....
, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, King's Landing Historical Settlement, Village Historique Acadien
Caraquet, New Brunswick

Caraquet is a Canada town in Gloucester County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick....
, Les Jardins de la Republique
Edmundston, New Brunswick

Edmundston is a Canada city in Madawaska County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.It is located at the edge of the New Brunswick "pan handle" at the junction of the Saint John River and Madawaska River s in the northwestern part of the province....
, Parlee Beach
Parlee Beach

Parlee Beach is a beach and provincial park on the east coast of New Brunswick, Canada, located on the Northumberland Strait at Shediac, New Brunswick, near Moncton....
, Hopewell Rocks
Hopewell Rocks

The Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flowerpot Rocks, are rock formations caused by tidal erosion in The Rocks Provincial Park in New Brunswick....
, La Dune de Bouctouche, Saint John Reversing Falls
Reversing Falls

The Reversing Falls are a series of rapids on the Saint John River located in Saint John, New Brunswick where the river runs through a narrow gorge before emptying into the Bay of Fundy....
, Magnetic Hill
Magnetic Hill

The Magnetic Hill is an example of a gravity hill, a type of optical illusion created by rising and descending terrain. It is located at the northern edge of the city of Moncton in the Canadian province of New Brunswick....
 Zoo, Crystal Palace
Palais Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace is an indoor amusement park adjacent to the Champlain Place shopping mall in the city of Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada near Moncton....
, Magic Mountain Water Park
Magic Mountain Water Park

Magic Mountain Water Park , also known as Magic Mountain or simply Magic, is a water park located in Moncton, New Brunswick. It is part of the Magnetic Hill tourist site....
, Cape Jourimain
Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick

Cape Jourimain is a Headlands and bays in the western part of the Northumberland Strait on its southern shore, 3 kilometres west of New Brunswick's easternmost point at Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick....
 National Wildlife Preserve, Sugarloaf Provincial Park, Sackville
Sackville, New Brunswick

Sackville is a Canada town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town. Historically home to two foundries manufacturing stoves and furnaces, the economy is now driven by the university and tourism....
 Waterfowl Park, Fundy National Park
Fundy National Park

Fundy National Park is located on the Bay of Fundy near the village of Alma, New Brunswick, New Brunswick. It includes both seashore and Acadian coastal forests....
, and the 41 km (25 mi) Fundy Hiking Trail.

Government and politics

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
New Brunswick has a unicameral legislature with 55 seats. Elections are held at least every five years, but may be called at any time by the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor

A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. In the United States and many Commonwealth of Nations systems, lieutenant governors are usually deputy heads of state....
 (the viceregal representative) on consultation with the Premier
Premier of New Brunswick

The Premier of New Brunswick is the first minister for the Canada Provinces of Canada of New Brunswick. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
. The Premier is the leader of the party that holds the most seats in the legislature.

There are two dominant political parties in New Brunswick, the Liberal Party and the Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick

The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a right-of-centre political party in New Brunswick, Canada. It has its origins in the pre-Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granting of responsible government to the colony....
. While consistently polling approximately 10% of the electoral vote since the early 1980s, the New Democratic Party has elected few members to the Legislative Assembly. From time to time, other parties, such as the Confederation of Regions Party
Confederation of Regions Party of Canada

The Confederation of Regions Party was a right-wing Canada political party founded in 1984 by Elmer Knutson. It was founded as a successor to the Western Canada Federation , a non-partisan organization, to fight the Liberal Party of Canada....
, have held seats in the legislature, but only on the strength of a strong protest vote.

The dynamics of New Brunswick politics are different from those of other Canadian provinces. The lack of a dominant urban centre in the province means that the government has to be responsive to issues affecting all areas of the province. In addition, the presence of a large Francophone minority dictates that consensus politics is necessary, even when there is a majority government present. In this manner, the ebb and flow of New Brunswick provincial politics parallels the federal stage.

Since 1960, the province has elected a succession of young bilingual leaders. This combination of attributes has permitted recent premiers of New Brunswick to be disproportionately influential players on the federal stage. Former Premier Bernard Lord
Bernard Lord

Bernard Lord, Order of New Brunswick is a Canada politician and lobbyist. Lord served as Premier of New Brunswick of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006....
 (Progressive Conservative) has been touted as a potential leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Tories, is a major political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada....
. Frank McKenna
Frank McKenna

Francis Joseph "Frank" McKenna, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of Canada, Queen's Counsel, Order of New Brunswick is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat....
 (premier, 1987–97), had been considered to be a front-runner to lead the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is a major political party in Canada. The party is positioned in the centre-left of the Politics of Canada....
. Richard Hatfield
Richard Hatfield

Richard Bennett Hatfield, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of New Brunswick was a New Brunswick politician and long time Premier of the province ....
 (premier, 1970–87) played an active role in the patriation
Canada Act 1982

The Canada Act 1982 is an Act of Parliament passed by the British Parliament that severed all remaining legislative dependence of Canada on the United Kingdom, in a process known as "patriation"....
 of the Canadian constitution and creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The Charter was preceded by the Canadian Bill of Rights, which was enacted in 1960. However, the Bill of Rights was only a federal statute, rather than a constitutional document....
. Louis Robichaud
Louis Robichaud

Louis Joseph Robichaud, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of Canada, Queen's Counsel , popularly known as "Little Louis" or "P'tit-Louis" , was a Canada lawyer and politician....
 (premier, 1960–70) was responsible for a wide range of social reforms.

On September 18, 2006, the Liberals won a majority, with 29 out of 55 seats, making 38-year old Shawn Graham
Shawn Graham

Shawn Michael Graham, Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is a New Brunswick politician and is the current Premier of New Brunswick. After being trained as a school teacher, he worked for New Brunswick's civil service before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in 1998....
 the new Premier of New Brunswick.

Municipalities

Metropolitan Moncton (Moncton, Riverview
Riverview, New Brunswick

Riverview is a town in south-eastern New Brunswick, Canada located on the south side of the Petitcodiac River, opposite the much larger city of Moncton....
, Dieppe
Dieppe, New Brunswick

Dieppe is a Canada city in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.Dieppe is located on the Petitcodiac River east of the adjacent city of Moncton....
), with a population of 126,424 (Canada 2006 census), is the largest urban centre in the province. Saint John is the largest city and has a metropolitan population (Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick

Saint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 68,043....
, Quispamsis, Rothesay
Rothesay, New Brunswick

Rothesay is a historic Canada town located in Kings County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick. Located 10 minutes from the city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Rothesay is nestled in the majestic Kennebecasis Valley along the Kennebecasis River....
) of 122,389. Greater Fredericton has a census agglomeration population of 85,000.
Sjnb Skyline
Moncton is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the province and among the top ten fastest growing urban areas in Canada. Its economy is principally based on the transportation, distribution, information technology, commercial, and retail sectors. Moncton has a sizeable Francophone Acadian minority population (35%) and became officially bilingual in 2002.

Saint John is one of the busiest shipping ports in Canada in terms of gross tonnage. Saint John is a major energy hub for the East Coast. It is the home of Canada's biggest oil refinery (with a second one planned); an LNG terminal is being constructed in the city; and there are major oil-fired and nuclear power plants located in or around the town. The retail, commercial, and residential sectors are currently experiencing a resurgence.

Fredericton, the capital of the province, is home to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery
Beaverbrook Art Gallery

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a small prestigious art gallery located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada on the southwest bank of the Saint John River at the edge of the city's central business district....
, the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick

The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and was the first public university in North America....
, and St. Thomas University. Canada's largest military base is located in suburban Oromocto. The economy of Fredericton is tied to the governmental, military, and university sectors.

Education

Mtaconvocationhall
New Brunswick has a comprehensive parallel system of Anglophone and Francophone public schools providing education from kindergarten to grade 12. There are also several secular and religious private schools in the province.

The New Brunswick Community College
New Brunswick Community College

The New Brunswick Community College is a community college....
 system has campuses in all regions of the province. This comprehensive trade school system offers roughly parallel programs in both official languages at either Francophone or Anglophone campuses. Each campus, however, tends to have areas of concentration to allow for specialisation. There are also a number of private colleges for specialised training in the province, such as the Moncton Flight College
Moncton Flight College

The Moncton Flight College is a pilot training school based at the Greater Moncton International Airport in Dieppe, New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada....
, one of the top pilot-training academies in Canada.

There are four publicly funded secular universities and four private degree-granting religious institutions in the province. The two comprehensive provincial universities are the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick

The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and was the first public university in North America....
 and Université de Moncton
Université de Moncton

The University of Moncton is a French language university in Moncton serving the Acadian community of Atlantic Canada. It is the only francophone university in New Brunswick and is one of only two such universities in the Maritime Provinces, the other being the Universit? Sainte-Anne in neighbouring Nova Scotia....
. These institutions have extensive post graduate programs and Schools of Law. Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University

Mount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canada liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located near the regional city of Moncton....
, in Sackville
Sackville, New Brunswick

Sackville is a Canada town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town. Historically home to two foundries manufacturing stoves and furnaces, the economy is now driven by the university and tourism....
, consistently ranks as one of the best liberal arts universities in Canada and has produced 47 Rhodes Scholars—more than any other liberal arts university in the British Commonwealth.

Publicly funded provincial comprehensive universities
  • University of New Brunswick
    University of New Brunswick

    The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and was the first public university in North America....
     (Fredericton and Saint John), Anglophone
  • Université de Moncton
    Université de Moncton

    The University of Moncton is a French language university in Moncton serving the Acadian community of Atlantic Canada. It is the only francophone university in New Brunswick and is one of only two such universities in the Maritime Provinces, the other being the Universit? Sainte-Anne in neighbouring Nova Scotia....
     (Moncton, Shippagan, and Edmundston), Francophone
Publicly funded undergraduate liberal arts universities
  • St. Thomas University
    St. Thomas University (New Brunswick)

    St. Thomas University is jointly a public university and Roman Catholic Church liberal arts university located in Fredericton, New Brunswick. It offers degrees exclusively at the undergraduate level for approximately 3,000 students in the liberal arts, humanities, journalism, education, and social work....
     (Fredericton), Anglophone
  • Mount Allison University
    Mount Allison University

    Mount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canada liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located near the regional city of Moncton....
     (Sackville), Anglophone
Private religious undergraduate liberal arts university
  • Atlantic Baptist University
    Atlantic Baptist University

    Atlantic Baptist University is a small Liberal Arts university located in Moncton, Canada. ABU is run by the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches....
     (Moncton), Anglophone
  • Northeast Christian College (Fredericton),Anglophone
Private degree granting religious training institutions
  • St. Stephen's University
    St. Stephen's University

    St. Stephen's University is a small Christian trans-denominational university located in the town of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada....
     (Saint Stephen), Anglophone
  • Bethany Bible College
    Bethany Bible College

    Bethany Bible College is a small Christian university associated with the Wesleyan Church in the town of Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada. It is chartered by the province of New Brunswick and can grant Bachelor of Arts degrees....
     (Sussex), Anglophone
  • New Brunswick Bible Institute (Hartland), Anglophone


Culture

Early New Brunswick culture was aboriginal in flavour, influenced by the native populations who made their home along the coast and riverbanks until the arrival of French-speaking (in the early 17th century) and English-speaking settlers (in the 18th century).

As described by Arthur Doyle in a paper written in 1976, an invisible line separated the two founding European cultures, beginning on the eastern outskirts of Moncton and running diagonally across the province northwest towards Grand Falls. Franco-New Brunswick (Acadie) lay to the northeast of this divide, and Anglo-New Brunswick lay to the southwest. Doyle's statement was made not long after government reforms by Hon. Louis J. Robichaud had significantly improved the status of French-speaking Acadians within the province and initiated their journey towards cultural recognition and equality with their English-speaking counterparts.

Nineteenth-century New Brunswick was influenced by colonial ties to France, England, Scotland, and Ireland as well as by its geographical proximity to New England and the arrival of about 40,000 Loyalists.

As local society was founded in forestry and seaborne endeavours, a tradition of lumber camp songs and sea chanties prevailed. Acadian cloggers and Irish and Scots step dancers competed at festivals to expressive fiddle and accordion music. The art of storytelling, well-known to the native populations, passed on to the early settlers, and poetry—whether put to music or not—was a common form of commemorating shared events, as the voice of a masterful poet or soulful musician easily conquered the province's language barriers.

Other cultural expressions were found in family gatherings and the church; both French and English cultures saw a long and early influence of ecclesiastical architecture, with Western European and American influences dominating rather than any particular vernacular sense. Poets produced the first important literary contributions in the province. Cousins Bliss Carman
Bliss Carman

Bliss Carman, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada was a preeminent Canada poet. He was born William Bliss Carman in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in the Maritimes of New Brunswick....
 and Sir Charles G.D. Roberts
Charles G.D. Roberts

Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts, Order of St. Michael and St. George , Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada , Bachelor of Arts was a Canada poet and prose writer....
 found inspiration in the landscape of the province, as would later writers as well. In painting, individual artists such as Anthony Flower
Anthony Flower

Anthony Flower was a Canadian artist. He was born in London, England on March 4, 1792, the son of merchant mariner Cornelius Flower and Margaret Nicholson....
 worked in obscurity, either through design or neglect. Few 19th-century artists emerged, but those who did often benefited from fine arts training at Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University

Mount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canada liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located near the regional city of Moncton....
 in Sackville, which began classes in 1854. The program came into its own under John A. Hammond
John A. Hammond

John A. Hammond was a Canada adventurer, photographer artist, printmaker and art educator.Born in Montreal, Quebec, at age nine he began working with his father as a marble cutter....
, who served from 1893 to 1916; Alex Colville
Alex Colville

David Alexander Colville, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of Canada, Order of Nova Scotia is a Canada painter.Colville's family moved from Toronto to Amherst, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia in 1929....
 and Lawren Harris
Lawren Harris

Lawren Stewart Harris, Order of Canada was a Canadian painter. He was born in Brantford, Ontario and is best known as a member the Group of Seven who pioneered a distinctly Canadian painting style in the early twentieth century....
 later studied and taught art there. Both Christopher Pratt
Christopher Pratt

John Christopher Pratt, Order of Canada is a Canadian painter.Pratt moved to New Brunswick in 1953 to attend Mount Allison University, where he met his future wife, the artist Mary Pratt....
 and Mary Pratt
Mary Pratt

Mary Frances Pratt, Order of Canada is a Canada painter specializing in still life paintings.She is the daughter of Lawyer William J. West, who served as the Office of the Attorney General from 1952 to 1958....
 were trained at Mount Allison. The university’s art gallery—which opened in 1895 and is named for its patron, John Owens of Saint John—is Canada’s oldest (it actually opened in Saint John ten years earlier, but was moved to Sackville). In French-speaking New Brunswick, it would not be until the 1960s that a comparable institution was founded, the University of Moncton
Université de Moncton

The University of Moncton is a French language university in Moncton serving the Acadian community of Atlantic Canada. It is the only francophone university in New Brunswick and is one of only two such universities in the Maritime Provinces, the other being the Universit? Sainte-Anne in neighbouring Nova Scotia....
. Then, a cultural renaissance occurred under the influence of Acadian historians and such teachers as Claude Roussel through coffee houses, music, and protest; an outpouring of Acadian art, literature, and music has pressed on unabated since that time. Popular exponents of modern Acadian literature and music include Antonine Maillet
Antonine Maillet

Antonine Maillet, Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Order of Canada, National Order of Quebec, Order of New Brunswick, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada is a Canada Acadian novelist, playwright, and scholar....
 and Edith Butler
Édith Butler

?dith Butler Order of Canada is an Acadian singer-songwriter and Folklore. Her career began in the early 1960s with performances in Moncton, followed by national appearances on CBC Television's Singalong Jubilee....
. The current New Brunswick Lieutenant Governor, Herménégilde Chiasson
Herménégilde Chiasson

Herm?n?gilde Chiasson, Order of New Brunswick is a noted Acadian poet and playwright born in Saint Simon, New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada....
, is a poet. (See also "Music of New Brunswick
Music of New Brunswick

New Brunswick is a Canada Provinces of Canada.New Brunswick's capital city is Fredericton, New Brunswick, which is home to the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, an annual event attracting some of the most respected jazz, blues and world music artists from across North America and beyond....
").


Dr. John Clarence Webster
John Clarence Webster

Dr. John Clarence Webster was a Canada-born physician pioneering in Obstetrics and gynaecology who in retirement had a second career as an historian, specializing in the history of his native New Brunswick....
 and Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook
Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook

William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, Baronet, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, was a Canada-United Kingdom business tycoon, politician, and writer....
 have made important endowments to provincial museums. Dr. Webster gave his art collection to the New Brunswick Museum
New Brunswick Museum

The New Brunswick Museum, located in Saint John, New Brunswick is Canada's oldest continuing museum. The New Brunswick Museum was officially incorporated as the "Provincial Museum" in 1929 and received its current name in 1930, but its history goes back much further....
 in 1934, thereby endowing the museum with one of its greatest assets. James Barry
James Barry (painter)

James Barry , Ireland Painting, best remembered for his six part series of paintings entitled The Progress of Human Culture in the Great Room of the Royal Society of Arts....
's  ranks as a Canadian national treasure. Courtesy of Lord Beaverbrook, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery
Beaverbrook Art Gallery

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a small prestigious art gallery located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Canada on the southwest bank of the Saint John River at the edge of the city's central business district....
 in Fredericton has a collection of world-class art, including works of such luminaries as Salvador Dali
Salvador Dalí

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dal? i Dom?nech, 1st Marquis of P?bol was a Spain Catalonia surrealist painter born in Figueres.Dal? was a skilled Technical drawing, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealism work....
.

The performing arts have a long tradition in New Brunswick, dating back to travelling road shows and 19th-century opera in Saint John. The early crooner Henry Burr
Henry Burr

For the footballer of the same name, see Robert Rice Henry Burr was a Canadian singer of popular music songs from the early part of the early 20th century, early radio performer and producer....
 was discovered at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John. Based in Fredericton, the most important proponent of theatre today is  under the direction of Walter Learning
Walter Learning

Walter John Learning is a Canadian theatre director and actor, and founder of...
, which tours plays around the province; Canadian playwright Norm Foster
Norm Foster (playwright)

Norm Foster An extremely prolific writer, he has had more than forty plays produced on professional stages. Among his well-known plays are The Love List, The Melville Boys, My Darling Judith, The Affections of May, The Long Weekend, The Motor Trade, Wrong for Each Other , and Skin Flick....
 saw his early works premiere at TNB. Other live theatre troops include Theatre L'Escaouette in Moncton, the Théatre populaire d'Acadie in Caraquet, and Live Bait Theatre in Sackville. All three major cities have significant performance spaces. The refurbished Imperial and Capitol theatres are found in Saint John and Moncton, respectively; the more modern Playhouse is located in Fredericton.

In modern literature, writers Alfred Bailey
Alfred Bailey

Alfred Goldsworthy Bailey, Order of Canada, Royal Society of Canada was a Canada educator, poet, anthropologist, ethno-historian, and academic administrator....
 and Alden Nowlan
Alden Nowlan

Alden Albert Nowlan was a Canada poet, novelist, playwright, and journalist.Born in Stanley, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, Nowlan eventually settled in New Brunswick, where he earned his living primarily through journalism....
 dominated the New Brunswick literary scene in the last third of the twentieth century; world-renowned literary critic Northrop Frye
Northrop Frye

Herman Northrop Frye, Order of Canada, Royal Society of Canada , a Canada, was one of the most distinguished literary critics and literary theorists of the twentieth century....
 was influenced by his upbringing in Moncton. The expatriate British poet John Thompson
John Thompson (poet)

John Thompson was an influential Canada poet.Born in Timperley, Cheshire, England, his father was killed in the Second World War. He was educated at Sheffield University, and received a PhD from Michigan State University in 1966....
, who settled outside Sackville, proved influential in his short-lived career. Douglas Lochhead
Douglas Lochhead

Douglas Lochhead, Royal Society of Canada is a Canada poet living in Sackville, New Brunswick, New Brunswick, of which town he is the official poet laureate....
 and K.V. Johansen are other prominent writers living in the town of Sackville. David Adams Richards
David Adams Richards

David Adams Richards is a Canada novelist, essayist, screenwriter and poet.Born in Newcastle, New Brunswick, New Brunswick, Richards left St....
, born in the Miramichi, has become a well-respected Governor-General's Award-winning author.

The Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, based in Moncton and featuring Russian and European trained dancers, has recently flourished and has started touring both nationally and internationally. Symphony New Brunswick
Symphony New Brunswick

Symphony New Brunswick is the largest classical music organization in New Brunswick, Canada.Founded in 1950, SNB presents concerts in Saint John at the Imperial Theatre, in Moncton at the Capitol Theatre and...
, based in Saint John, also tours extensively in the province.

Media outlets

New Brunswick has four daily newspapers (three of which are in English), the largest being the Times & Transcript
Times & Transcript

The Times & Transcript is New Brunswick's largest circulation daily newspaper with an average daily readership of approximately 40,000. It serves Metro Moncton and eastern New Brunswick....
 (40,000 daily), based in Moncton and serving eastern New Brunswick. Also, there is the The Telegraph Journal (37,000 daily), which serves Saint John and is distributed throughout the province, and the provincial capital daily The Daily Gleaner
The Daily Gleaner

The Daily Gleaner, often just The Gleaner, is a morning daily newspaper serving the city of Fredericton, New Brunswick and upper Saint John River ....
 (25,000 daily), based in Fredericton. The French-language daily is L'Acadie Nouvelle (12,000 daily), based in Caraquet
Caraquet

Caraquet can refer to:* Caraquet, New Brunswick, a town in New Brunswick, Canada* Bas-Caraquet, New Brunswick, a village in New Brunswick, Canada...
. There are also several weekly newspapers that are local in scope and based in the province's smaller towns and communities.

The three English-language dailies and the majority of the weeklies are owned and operated by Brunswick News
Brunswick News

Brunswick News Inc. is a Canada newspaper publishing company based in Moncton, New Brunswick.Brunswick News is privately owned by James Irving....
, privately owned by J.K. Irving. The other major media group in the province is Acadie Presse, which publishes L'Acadie Nouvelle.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , a Canada crown corporation, is the country?s national public radio and television broadcaster. In French, it is called la Soci?t? Radio-Canada ....
 has various news bureaus throughout the province, but its main Anglophone television and radio operations are centred in Fredericton. The CBC French service is based in Moncton. Global
Global Television Network

Global Television Network is a Canadian English language privately owned television network. It is owned by Canwest Media Inc., a division of Canwest which is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba....
 has its New Brunswick base in Saint John, with news and sales bureaus in Fredericton and Moncton. CTV Atlantic
CTV Atlantic

CTV Atlantic is a system of four television stations in the Canadian Maritimes, owned and operated station by the CTV Television Network, a division of CTVglobemedia....
, the regional CTV
CTV television network

CTV is a Canadian English language television network. It is Canada's largest privately owned network, the main television asset of CTVglobemedia, one of the country's largest media conglomerates....
 station, is based in Halifax and has offices in Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John.

There are many private radio stations in New Brunswick, with each of the three major cities having a dozen or more stations. Most smaller cities and towns also have one or two stations.

Photo gallery



See also

  • Communities in New Brunswick
    List of communities in New Brunswick

    This is a list of communities in New Brunswick, a Provinces and territories of Canada in Canada. For the purposes of this list, a community is defined as either an incorporation municipality , or an unincorporated area town inside or outside of a municipality....
  • Counties in New Brunswick
  • Elections in New Brunswick
  • Famous people from New Brunswick
    List of people from New Brunswick

    This is a list of notable people, who are from the province of New Brunswick, Canada, or have spent a large part or formative part of their career in that province....
  • Lieutenant-governors of New Brunswick
  • Airports in New Brunswick
    List of airports in New Brunswick

    This is a complete list of airports, water aerodromes and heliports in the Canada province of New Brunswick....
  • Music of New Brunswick
    Music of New Brunswick

    New Brunswick is a Canada Provinces of Canada.New Brunswick's capital city is Fredericton, New Brunswick, which is home to the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, an annual event attracting some of the most respected jazz, blues and world music artists from across North America and beyond....
  • New Brunswick Assembly
    Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick

    The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick is located in Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was established de jure when the colony was created in 1784, but only came in to session in 1786 following the first List of New Brunswick general elections in late 1785....
  • Premiers of New Brunswick
    List of New Brunswick premiers

    The Canada province of New Brunswick was a British crown colony before it joined Canada in 1867. It had a system of responsible government beginning in 1854, and has kept its own legislature to deal with provincial matters....
  • Rivers in New Brunswick
    List of New Brunswick rivers

    List of rivers in the province of New Brunswick, Canada.New Brunswick receives ample precipitation year round, which feeds numerous streams and rivers....
  • Schools in New Brunswick
    List of schools in New Brunswick

    The following is a list of public schools in the Canada province of New Brunswick, organized by school district and grade level. The grade levels for each school are listed in parentheses....
  • Scouting in New Brunswick
    Scouting in New Brunswick

    Scouting in New Brunswick has a long history, from the 1900s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live....
  • Higher education in New Brunswick
    Higher education in New Brunswick

    Higher education in New Brunswick refers to education provided by higher education institutions in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Higher education has a rich history in New Brunswick, including the first English-speaking university in Canada, University of New Brunswick, and the first university in the British Empire to have awarde...


External links

  • historical census, birth marriage and death records, immigration, settlement, biography, cemeteries, burial records, land records, First Nations and more