Government of New Brunswick

Facts

  1. In Canada, about 1.3 million people are of Aboriginal ancestry.
  2. There are more Native names used for rivers, towns and other places in New Brunswick than in any of the other Atlantic provinces.
  3. On an international level, Canada's proportion of Aboriginal population ranks second behind New Zealand.
  4. One quarter of Aboriginal people can conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language.
  5. Industry analysts expect Aboriginal tourism to grow by leaps and bounds over the next decade.
  6. Archaeology tells us that aboriginal people have lived in the Maritimes provinces of Canada for at
    least 11 000 years.
  7. On September 22, 2003, Richibucto unveiled its new welcome sign promoting Richibucto in three languages - French, English and Mi'kmaq. It is the first such sign in Canada.
  8. There are 690 101 aboriginal people registered under the Indian Act.
  9. March 31, 1960 Aboriginal people in Canada are first permitted to vote in federal elections.
  10. October 2, 1901 Maliseet leader Gabriel Acquin dies in St. Mary's (Fredericton) at the age of 90. Founder of the St. Mary's First Nation, in 1883 he had travelled to London (England) as part of the Canadian contingent to the Great International Fisheries Exhibition.
  11. June 4, 1726 The 1725 Treaty of Peace and Friendship is ratified at Annapolis Royal (Nova Scotia) by the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nations – re-affirming Wabanahki hunting, fishing and planting grounds.
  12. August 15, 1749 Maliseet Chiefs from the Wolastoq (river St. John) travel to Chebucto (Halifax, Nova Scotia), and sign a renewal of the 1725 Boston Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
  13. August 18, 1827 Sir Howard Douglas meets 93-year-old Maliseet Elder, Chief Sachem Pierre Tomah, at Meductic. A veteran of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759), Tomah was an influential leader during the period of the American Revolution.
  14. December 15, 1725 Dummer’s Treaty of Peace and Friendship is signed in Boston (Massachusetts), and British authorities promise to respect Wabanahki (Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi'kmaq) hunting, fishing, and planting grounds.
  15. September 17, 1999 The Supreme Court of Canada upholds the Treaties of 1760 and 1761 - recognizing Mi’kmaq, Maliseet and Passamaquoddy rights to a moderate livelihood through hunting, fishing and gathering.
  16. On Friday, June 22, 2007, Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, Province of New Brunswick Relationship Building Bilateral.