Dozens of Acadians living in the United States are among those hoping to become Canadian citizens under the country’s new citizenship by descent law — but one expert says the Immigration Department’s narrow interpretation of the rules appears to disregard the history of this particular group.
Nadine Morin, a documentation specialist at the Anselme-Chiasson Centre for Acadian Studies at the Université de Moncton, said she’s received genealogy requests from at least 30 people since January.
At first, she said, she thought it might be a stretch to trace the Canadian connection back to the 1700s. “It wasn’t even Canada yet,” she said in an interview.
But then she had second thoughts.
“To me, it’s valid. They were in Acadia at the time and they had their feet on the ground here and we are Canada now,” Morin said.
The centre’s trove of records, which were collected, transcribed, authenticated and meticulously catalogued, have helped many Acadians from around the world trace their lineage back to the region.
It’s not always an easy task. British forces burned houses and churches after deporting some 10,000 Acadians between 1755 and 1763. Documents like baptismal and marriage records were sometimes smuggled out and the originals are now held in France and the U.S.
Morin said she hasn’t heard yet whether any of the applicants she’s helped have been approved to become Canadian citizens.
The waitlist is already long.
One Louisiana woman with Acadian heritage did get approved — only to be told later that her documents aren’t acceptable.
The woman, whom The Canadian Press has agreed not to name, said she submitted her records after months of research. She said she was approved in February and received a citizenship certificate, along with a social insurance number and passport.
Then in June, she was among the 100 people who received letters from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) asking them to surrender their citizenship certificates.
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Her submission included a copy of her ancestor’s 1730 baptismal record from St. Charles-aux-Mines Catholic Church — located in what is now Grand Pré, N.S., where a memorial church now stands as part of a national historic site.
The record was sourced from the Diocese of Baton Rouge, which holds the original documents.
According to a July letter from the Immigration Department, the woman’s application was approved “due to an administrative error.” The letter flagged that 1730 submission and said U.S. documents cannot confirm Canadian citizenship.
The woman said she didn’t explain why the documents were from an American source in her initial application. She said she hopes she can submit another copy from a Canadian transcription in its place.
“I didn’t even think of explaining that in my application because I just assumed they would know,” she said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Immigration Department said documents issued outside Canada can be taken into consideration in an application.
“We are not in a position to confirm whether a particular document would be accepted or relied upon, as each proof of citizenship application is assessed on its own merits,” Briannah Dale said in an email.
The department also said it’s still reviewing 21 of the 100 cases it flagged in June.
Morin said she doesn’t understand why the document wasn’t accepted, given the historical context.
She said it would be “absolutely fantastic” if Acadians were able to become Canadians under the new law.
“I’ve met people from Louisiana and they are very, very proud of their Acadian history,” she said.
Nova Scotia Sen. Allister Surette, who was president of the Université Sainte-Anne and chaired the 2004 World Acadian Congress, said he didn’t know that the law, known as Bill C-3, could cover the descendants of Acadians when it came before the Senate.
“I don’t know the details of what IRCC will accept,” he said.
He added that in this case, “I would hope that they would have a look at this very carefully.”
Surette said Acadian communities like his own would be very interested in the idea of Acadian immigration to the region.
“This link here opens up an interesting door, where there’s a cultural, social, emotional link to these areas,” he said.
The applicant from Louisiana said she’s hoping to move to Canada and had started looking for work before the June letter put a halt to her plans.
She sees it as a “return” for her family.
“If our ancestors had never been affected by the expulsion, we might have ended up born in Canada,” she said.
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