Time Machine: Comparing language legislation in Canada and Estonia

VINCENT TEETSOV

It was June 1973 when the Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick (SANB) was founded in Shippagan, New Brunswick, to “defend and promote the rights and in­terests of Francophones and Acadians in New Brunswick.”

This was four years after the Official Languages Act was passed, making English and French the two official languages of Canada. It is also a legal requirement for federal institutions to provide services in French upon request. A combination of activism and federal legislation has made New Brunswick a thoroughly bilingual province.

However, in comparison with the actions that have protected the Estonian language, how have the languages of the indigenous Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, and Peskotomuhkati people of New Brunswick been considered in Canadian legislation?

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Welcome sign featuring artwork by Wolastoqiyik artist Samaqani Cocahq (Natalie Sappier).