Université de Moncton to study call for new name shedding ties with British officer

Officials with the Université de Moncton say they will study a request to change the school’s name after a petition asked that it shed its connection with an 18th century British military officer involved in the imprisonment and deportation of Acadians.

The university president said in a statement released today that the school will examine the call for a name change during the next board of governors meeting in April.

Denis Prud’homme said the analysis of the request is a sign the university is responsive to its community and “committed to societal transformation.”

The petition started last week has gathered more than 1,000 signatures, including such prominent Acadians as novelist Antonine Maillet, singer-songwriter Edith Butler, musician Zachary Richard and filmmaker Renee Blanchar.

Activist Jean-Marie Nadeau has said the Acadian community does not want the school to be associated with Robert Monckton, who played an active role in the deportation of Acadians from the Maritimes after Great Britain won the Seven Years’ War.

The university draws its name from the city of Moncton, N.B. — named after Monckton — which has a large Acadian population.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2023.