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Text Box: Land, Culture & Displacement
The Bond of Community and Place
from Canada’s History: Voices and Visions (Chapter 24)

What is Community?
The blending of PLACE and CULTURE. Often, the human community develops a ‘profound cultural connection to the geography of its place'. Groups of people joined together by shared experiences form human communities:
     Aboriginal Peoples
     African Canadians
     Sikhs
     Acadians

Displacement
Prejudice/Discrimination have driven groups into undesirable geographic locations. The hardships to survive have often made the community stronger. Some groups who developed strong connections with the land have been forced to leave.
The following are their stories…

Le Grand Dérangement
The Acadians were an independent people wishing to stay neutral in the fight between England and France. They lived in present-day Nova Scotia and established friendly relations with their Aboriginal neighbors. When Halifax was founded, Britain wanted to populate Acadia with English-speaking Protestants. This was the beginning of the end for the Acadians.
In the Treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians pledged allegiance to King in exchange for a promise of not EVER taking up arms against the French or Mi’kmaw. However, the British didn’t trust the Acadians to stay neutral. They demanded the Acadians to swear another oath removing all the conditions regarding the French/Mi’kmaq and the Acadians refused. Many were arrested and detained. Plans were made for le grand dérangement – removing them from the colony. 6000 Acadians were deported. Many died but many more escaped deportation and made new homes in the Maritimes.

The Red River Métis
Métis existed on farming and the fur trade. They eventually found a home along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers where they established a self-sufficient economy based on buffalo hunt and seigneurial farming. They also worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Métis were predominantly French and Roman Catholic. Others in the settlement were Protestant descendents of Aboriginal peoples and Scottish fur traders. Trouble began with the Canadian government's purchase of Rupert’s Land. The Red River Métis weren’t consulted and were concerned they’d lose their traditional farm systems. They were also: concerned about their culture; concerned about an influx of English settlers; concerned about the new railway. In the end, more settlement led to displacement. Many Métis gave up their land (too many English settlers) and moved to Saskatchewan. They would soon be displaced from there as well (the Northwest Rebellion).

Centralization in Nova Scotia
The Department of Indian Affairs, in 1942, decided to centralize 20 small Mi’kmaw reserves into 2 small communities: Eskasoni and Shubenacadie. This was an administrative move by the government. Prior to the move, the Mi’kmaq used community resources: farming, fishing, trapping, woodwork, basketry, beadwork. In using these resources, they developed a strong association/identification with PLACE. Centralization plans promised much to the Mi'kmaq, but it decimated populations and destroyed their way of life. In the new communities, Mi’kmaq were told that the quality of life would improve: full-time doctors; on-site hospitals; better schools; larger stores; churches with full-time priests; more industries. It was a promise unfulfilled. Once the communities were built, there were no jobs for Mi’kmaq, the land wasn’t suited for farming, and no local industries arrived. The final result: centralization displaced many Mi’kmaq and altered their lifestyle from SELF-SUFFICIENCY to GOVERNMENT DEPENDENCE.

The Outports of Newfoundland
This displacement scheme was labeled 'Government-Sponsored Relocation'. The people living in the outports of Newfoundland lived a pluralistic lifestyle: they provided for their own needs by fishing, farming, hunting, and trapping. To make this easier, families settled along the coast. Families worked together and helped each other. In 1954, the Newfoundland Centralization Program attempted to convince people to leave. They promised: access to more social services and facilities; $300 to $600 offered to those who would leave. However, in order to get the cash, ALL households in the community had to agree to leave. Government service were withdrawn after the majority of people agreed, forcing the rest to leave or starve.

Newfoundland Resettlement Program
The government upped the ante, offering $1000 per household + $200 per household member. In order to be paid, 80% of the community had to agree to leave. The federal and provincial governments of the time defended the program, saying that everything was voluntary – no one was forced to move; programs helped people do what they wanted to do: move to the cities; relocation improved people’s quality of life. Critics of the programs disagreed: it was all about money – eliminating the costs of providing outport services; forced people to leave their homes; too many conditions placed upon people forced them to leave.

Africville
Existed for 120+ years in Halifax. Africville settlers worked in Halifax’s shipyards and docks and built a tight-knit community centered around the church. Settlers owned their own land and built their own church, school, post office, and shops. They did not enjoy, however, equal rights:
Africville received all the unwanted facilities like: prison; infectious disease hospital; dump; incinerator. In fact, industries were encouraged to locate there. Some industries: slaughterhouses, tannery, tar factory, fertilizer plant. The end of Africville began in 1947, when the city of Halifax zoned Africville as industrial land, even though it was a residential community. The tax dollars collected didn’t help the citizens either. They suffered with poor health facilities, roads, electricity access, and running water access. In 1961, the decision was made by Halifax to destroy Africville, despite the resistance of residents. Halifax city council called the decision URBAN RENEWAL and over 400 households were relocated at $500 per household. By 1970, any semblance of Africville vanished.