Senate Committee — TRCM — Brief — 2024-05-16_trcm_s-273_brief_sanb_e

TRCM / Brief / 2024-05-16_trcm_s-273_brief_sanb_e

Senate Committees

Chignecto National Park Brief Submitted to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications as Part of Its Study of the Impacts of Climate Change on Critical Infrastructure in the Transportation and Communications Sectors The Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick (SANB) in Partnership with the Fédération acadienne de Nouvelle-Écosse (FANE) and the Société nationale de l’Acadie (SNA) May 2024 (Rev-3)

Chignecto National Park Brief submitted to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications as part of its study of the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors Submitted to the Office of the Clerk ( Rev-3 ) page 1 of 4 Introduction The Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick (SANB) is honoured to propose, in partnership with the Fédération acadienne de Nouvelle-Écosse (FANE) and the Société nationale de l’Acadie (SNA), the establishment of a new national park on the Chignecto Isthmus , located on the border between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

There are ecological, economic, historical and heritage justifications for the establishment of such a national park. The recent news about the Québec Bridge, a historic bridge in Quebec City designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995, is a testament to the importance for Canada to assume ownership of certain heritage infrastructure. Clearly, the Québec Bridge is the culmination of years of work, but more than that, it is an acknowledgement of the importance of doing things properly, as the thousands of rings worn by generations of engineers can testify. Very often, hi story teaches us lessons .

The Chignecto Isthmus has lessons for us as well. The SANB is submitting this brief to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications because this committee is conducting a study of the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors and the consequential impacts on their interdependencies. Establishing a national park is a potential solution to the impacts of climate change on the Trans-Canada Highway and the railway linking Nova Scotia to the rest of Canada.

The Chignecto Isthmus The Chignecto Isthmus is a narrow st rip of land consisting of salt marshes and streams. It links continental Nova Scotia to New Brunswick and the rest of Canada. First an important hunting and fishing site for the Mi’kmaq for millennia, and then home to the prosperous Acadian colony of Beaubassin, it became a theatre for the war between France and Great Britain and the Acadian Expulsion. The strategic placement of this isthmus meant that many fortifications were built there, including F ort Beauséjour (rechristened Cumberland by the British ) and Fort Lawrence.

From 1944 to 2012, it was also the site of the 120-metre towers erected to transmit Radio Canada International short-wave radio throughout the world, notably to European communist countries during the Cold War. The Chignecto Isthmus: A small area with a big economic impact The Chignecto Isthmus separates the Northumberland Strait from the Bay of Fundy. As the only solid link between Nova Scotia and the rest of the country, it is the sole road and railway connection between this province and the rest of Canada.

The Trans -Canada Highway and the Canadian National rail line carry approximately $35 billion in goods and services across it per year. It is also home to major power transmission lines and windmills.

Chignecto National Park Brief submitted to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications as part of its study of the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors Submitted to the Office of the Clerk ( Rev-3 ) page 2 of 4 Climate change and the Chignecto Isthmus1 The Chignecto Isthmus is situated slightly above sea level. It is therefore threatened by rising sea levels and more frequent severe weather events and is at risk of flooding that could cause major damage.

Since the 17th century, a 35 -km network of dykes and aboiteaux, built by hand by the Acadians of Beaubassin, has protected the communities, infrastructure, private land and natural resources on the isthmus. Will this network be able to resist climate change in the future? To answer this question, Transport Canada, the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works joined forces to conduct a technical and feasibility study on climate change adaptation of the isthmus.

This in-depth study identified three options, presented as recommendations, to protect the Chignecto Isthmus trade corridor. The estimated timeline for implementing each option would be 5 to 10 years to allow for all necessary environmental assessments, permitting, geotechnical and engineering design work, archeological work and construction. The first option is to raise the existing dykes to approximately 10.6 m. Where required, these dykes will be connected by new alignments. The second option is to build a new dyke system to the same height.

The third option is to raise the existing dykes to 10.6 m, install approximately 800 m of steel sheet pile walls at selected locations and connect the existing dykes by new alignments. The three authorities are studying the options to identify the best solution. Historical and heritage considerations The Mi’kmaq valued the isthmus as a site for hunting, fishing, and gathering of plants and fruit. In 1672, the Acadians settled in the southern portion of the isthmus, which they christened Beaubassin. As in other regions, the Acadians of Beaubassin dyked vast swathes of marsh for farming.

In 1713, under the Treaty of Utrecht, France ceded Acadia to Great Britain. However, in the absence of a s pecific definition of the boundaries of the ceded territory, Great Britain and France both believed they had a right to lay claim to the Chignecto Isthmus. Despite this conflict, the Acadian colonies in the region continued to grow in the decades following 1713. Beaubassin became the leading Acadian region in livestock production and one of the leading Acadian regions in grain production. The Acadians in the region engaged in the fur trade with the Mi’kmaq and the Wo lastokwiyik.

They also traded surplus livestock, grain and furs with merchants from the French and British camps. By 1750, the region was home to roughly 3,000 Acadians. In 1751, the French built Fort Beauséjour in the north of the isthmus to defend their interests in the region and serve as a counterweight to Fort Lawrence, erected by the British the year prior in the south of the isthmus near the former village of Beaubassin, which had been burned down by the French to keep it from falling into the hands of the English. 1 https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/dti/promos/chignecto.html

Chignecto National Park Brief submitted to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications as part of its study of the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors Submitted to the Office of the Clerk ( Rev-3 ) page 3 of 4 After years of fruitless struggle, Fort Beauséjour fell in June 1755. Renamed Fort Cumberland by the British, it played a key role in the Acadian Expulsion. The Chignecto Isthmus has therefore borne witness to numerous heritage institutions and historical events of great national significance.

Chignecto National Park The Chignecto Isthmus Dykeland System Act is a major step forward for the preservation, and even more so for the protection, of this historically rich region. This region is also of great public interest , particularly given its nationally and strategically important infrastructure.

Section 4 of Bill S-273 is clear on the subject: “The Chignecto Isthmus Dykeland System and related works are declared to be works for the general advantage of Canada.”2 Establishing a national park on the Chignecto Isthmus would have three benefits. First and foremost, it would allow the Government of Canada to effectively protect the isthmus against the ravages of climate change through the coordinated participation of multiple departments and agencies, including Public Works and Infrastructure Canada and Parks Canada.

It would also allow two heritage institutions—F ort Beauséjour and Fort Lawrence— to be combined on the same site. Lastly, it would preserve and promote the presence and activities of the Mi’kmaq and the Acadians of Beaubassin, including the network of dykes and aboiteaux erected over three centuries ago that continue to protect the isthmus , with or without modifications depending on the option chosen by the partners.

In the face of climate change, establishing a national park is not only an innovative way to find a sustainable solution to land management, but is also a concerted approach to preserving and promoting a region that has had, and will very certainly continue to have, great strategic importance. The SNA, the FANE and the S ANB have developed experience, if not expertise, through their involvement in the Comité de collaboration acadien (CCA).

The CCA’s mandate is twofold: facilitate the sharing of information among stakeholders to create opportunities to promote Acadian culture and/or history in Canada, and develop agreement-specific products and event concepts in significant heritage places for Acadians that are managed by Parks Canada.3 In one form or another, the Acadian people and the administrative bodies governing national parks and national historic sites have worked together for many years.

One thing is certain: The creation of a new national park should serve as an example of a best practice for co-managing places with a complex history involving many st akeholders. The national park should also have a body inspired by that of the National Capital Commission, composed of representatives of Canada, the two provinces concerned, Acadians, Mi’kmaq and others if necessary. The park’s mandate should provide for the holistic, comprehensive management of heritage ele ments and strategic infrastructure, with a view to coexistence. 2 Bill S-273:

An Act to declare the Chignecto Isthmus Dykeland System and related works to be for the general advantage of Canada, September 19, 2023 (Public bill (Senate) S-273 (44-1) - First reading - Chignecto Isthmus Dykeland System Act - Parliament of Canada). 3 Memorandum of understanding between Parks Canada, the Société nationale de l’Acadie and the Department of Canadian Heritage (2016).

Chignecto National Park Brief submitted to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications as part of its study of the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors Submitted to the Office of the Clerk ( Rev-3 ) page 4 of 4 In the wake of the adoption of the new Official Languages Act (OLA), and more particularly the new framing of

Part VII, it goes without saying that any initiative that directly or indirectly affects official-language minority communities, including Acadians, must be analyzed through the lens of the OLA, specifically

section 41(6) Positive measures , and

section 41(8) Dialogue and consultation activities, research and evidence-based findings. Legal framework The OLA can serve as a blueprint for taking positive measures. As we have demonstrated, the Chignecto Isthmus is an important part of Acadian heritage in this region. The OLA provides for a number of federal commitments toward heritage and enhancement of the vitality of official -language communities in Canada. 4 Furthermore, the Acadian heritage aspect can be considered part of Canadian Heritage’s mission.

According to the Department of Canadian Heritage Act, the federal government has obligations to protect and promote Canadian heritage. 5 In addition, the Minister of Canadian Heritage is tasked with initiating, recommending, coordinating, implementing and promoting national policies, projects and programs with respect to Canadian identity and values, cultural development and heritage.6 This project therefore falls under Canadian Heritage’s mission as set out in the Department’s enabling act.

Establishing a national park to protect the Chignecto Isthmus will make it possible for the Government of Canada to acquire the site and implement infrastructure that will mitigate the impacts of climate change. In addition, it is Parks Canada’s mission to protect historic sites that are integral to Canadian heritage.

The Agency is responsible for the implementation of policies of the Government of Canada that relate to national parks, national historic sites, national marine conservation areas, other protected heritage areas and heritage protection programs.7 In short, the current legislative environment allows for the acquisition of the isthmus by the federal government for the establishment of a national park . The aims and missions of multiple departments are involved given the major impact of the isthmus on Acadian and Indigenous heritage, as well as its national importance.

The current legislative argument has not taken into account the significant economic benefits that the federal government could reap by operating this highly unique national park. If Canada does not take positive measures to slow the impacts of climate change, the part of the isthmus used for the Trans-Canada Highway and the railway could become a thing of the past , cutting off land transportation between Nova Scotia and the rest of Canada. The loss of such a link would have a disastrous economic impact for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the medium and long term.

It would have a domino effect on Newfoundland and Labrador , severely amputating the province’s supply options. 4 Official Languages Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.)),

preamble. 5 Department of Canadian Heritage Act (S.C. 1995, c. 11), sections 4(1), 4(2)(

g) and 4(2)(h). 6 Ibid,

section 5(a). 7 Parks Canada Agency Act (S.C. 1998, c. 31),

section 6(3).

Chignecto National Park Brief submitted to the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications as part of its study of the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors Submitted to the Office of the Clerk ( Rev-3 ) page 5 of 4 Conclusion In and of itself, establishing a national park on the Chignecto Isthmus will not mitigate the impacts of climate change or protect critical infrastructure on the isthmus, such as the Trans-Canada Highway and the railway.

However, establishing a national park and having Parliament assume ownership of the isthmus with a view to joint custodial management will facilitate and bolster the fight against the adverse impacts of climate change and will ensure better protect ion of said infrastructure. By assuming ownership of the Chignecto Isthmus, the federal government will be able to bring together and allocate various departments and their resources to better coordinate this fight and this protection.

The SANB, the FANE and the SNA feel that multilateral cooperation is one of the advantages of Confederation, and encourage New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to work closely with the Government of Canada to protect the Chignecto Isthmus to the best of their ability. However, bilateral cooperation can pose serious challenges, especially when such a critical, urgent issue as climate change is at play, and when two less affluent provinces do not have the resources to fully tackle the issue.

These challenges are exacerbated when the issue is one of national scope, with si zeable strategic considerations for Canada and all stakeholders. Recently,8 the federal government purchased the Québec Bridge and committed to strategic investments to protect the railway. We believe that the same reasoning could apply to Chignecto National Park. The new Official Languages Act should serve as a blueprint for taking positive measures.

A people exists only through its driving forces, its history, its culture, its language, its traditions and, first and foremost, the strong link between its land and its collective identity. The Chignecto Isthmus represents a set of factors that are vital for our economic continuity, our state sovereignty in terms of territorial occupation and development, and national unity. Canada is in need of major nation- building projects.

This project would contribute to the building of several converging nations: First Nations, the Acadian nation and Canada as a whole. 8 https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/2024-05-09/rachat-du-pont-de-quebec/entente-historique-entre-le-cn- et-ottawa.php

Document details

Collection	Senate Committees
Citation	TRCM / Brief / 2024-05-16_trcm_s-273_brief_sanb_e
Type	committee
Volume / chapter	441 / Brief / 2024-05-16_trcm_s-273_brief_sanb_e
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	COMM_SEN
Identifier	d54793392ca5f93f96a710f3953e783b747d6f36

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