Hon. Blaine Higgs
Premier, Government of New Brunswick
Chancery Place
P.O. Box 6000
Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1
(Open letter)
October 20, 2021
Dear Premier Higgs,
We [I] would like to begin by acknowledging that we are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq Wəlastəkwiyik (Maliseet), and Passamaquoddy Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1726. (NBFL Land Acknowledgment)
Like many union, social and community organizations, the New Brunswick Federation of Labour (NBFL) starts all of its meetings and events with a land acknowledgment. We believe that this is an important step towards reconciliation by acknowledging a historical fact.
I was pleased to see the significant presence of Indigenous peoples at the New Brunswick Day celebrations this year. I was hopeful that our government was taking a huge step towards reconciliation in our province. However, my hope was tempered by the recent directive from your government for public servants not to refer to the land being unceded or unsurrendered in land acknowledgments.
On behalf of the 38,000 affiliated members of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, I am calling on you to reconsider this position and withdraw this directive. It divides our communities even further in New Brunswick.
Sincerely,
Daniel Legere
President, New Brunswick Federation of Labour