Moldy Peaches

Canada Post recently issued a new, 50-cent stamp commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Acadian expulsion by the British from what are now the Maritime provinces.

This event is one of the worst in Canadian history and deserves more attention. Canadians remember the treatment of the Chinese on the railways and Aboriginal people / residential schools, but seem to forget this.

As a lad growing up in the west this story flew too far under the radar. It wasn't until relocation into Central Canada and the formation of a great friendship with 2 Acadians that the extent of the event was conveyed.

In 1755, there were 16,000 French-speaking Acadians living in the area when British troops embarked on a grand scheme to expel them. Acadians lost their, thousands perished and many families were separated during what became known as the Grand Derangement. In all, over 6,000 Acadians were deported, while another 4,000 hid in the woods where they waged a campaign of resistance.

A must read on the subject can be found on the Devil's Trash. Now, if you are like me you will have to read it twice or three times to get the meaning.