Mourners are paying their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II this weekend. Did you know in 2003 Queen Elizabeth issued a formal apology for the illegal deportation of thousands of French Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755? It was Louisiana attorney Warren Perrin who demanded an apology in 1990.
“And I gave them thirty days to respond to our request for an apology or I told them I’d file a class action lawsuit on behalf of five million Acadians in the world today,” Perrin said.
Perrin’s own ancestors were among the ten thousand men, women, and children exiled. Many of those made their way to the swamps and marshes of Southern Louisiana, but about one third died on the way. After years of wrangling, and with help from the Canadian government, Queen Elizabeth issued a formal apology.
“She expressed her regret for that having taken place and hoped that the page could be turned in reconciliation for the Acadian people and the British Crown,” he added.
And even though the queen is gone now, Perrin says she is still helping new generations of Louisiana students learn about their culture and history.
“The document is used in all our French immersion schools to teach children about history because it’s a bilingual document,” Perrin said.
The original signed formal apology document is in the archives of Canada. The only other signed copy is at the Acadian museum in Erath.
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