Encyclopedia of Canadian Laws

New Brunswick Issues

New Brunswick

New Brunswick, one of the three Maritime provinces, and included as one of the four Atlantic provinces, of Canada, bounded on the N by Québec Province and Chaleur Bay, on the E by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Northumberland Strait, on the SE by Nova Scotia, on the S by the Bay of Fundy, and on the W by the state of Maine. The province is joined to Nova Scotia by the narrow Isthmus of Chignecto.

New Brunswick entered the Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, as one of the four original provinces. The province has traditionally had an economy based on the exploitation of its natural resources. Although forestry and mineral industries remain important, services and manufacturing are now the dominant sectors. The province is named for the British royal family of Brunswick-Lüneburg (the house of Hannover). New Brunswick is called the Loyalist Province.

NEW BRUNSWICK PROVINCE FACTS
JOINED THE CANADIAN CONFEDERATION: July 1, 1867, one of the four original provinces
CAPITAL: Fredericton
MOTTO: Spem reduxit (Hope was restored)
NICKNAME: Loyalist Province
FLORAL EMBLEM: Purple violet
POPULATION (2001 census): 729,498; 8th largest among the provinces
AREA: 73,440 sq km (28,355 sq mi), includes 1350 sq km (521 sq mi) of inland water: 8th largest among the provinces
COASTLINE: 2269 km (1410 mi)
HIGHEST POINT: Mt. Carleton, 820 m (2690 ft)
LOWEST POINT: Sea level, along the Atlantic coast
PRINCIPAL RIVERS: Miramichi, Restigouche, Saint Croix, Saint John
PRINCIPAL LAKES: Grand Lake, Magaguadavic, Oromocto
CANADIAN PARLIAMENT: 10 members of the Senate; 10 members of the House of Commons

LAND AND RESOURCES

New Brunswick, with an area of 73,440 sq km (28,355 sq mi), is the eighth largest province in Canada; approximately 2% of the land area is owned by the federal government. The province is roughly elliptical in shape, and its extreme dimensions are about 370 km (about 230 mi) from N to S and about 305 km (about 190 mi) from E to W. Elevations range from sea level to 820 m (2690 ft) atop Mt. Carleton. The province has a total shoreline of 2269 km (1410 mi).

Physical Geography.

Most of the prominent physical features of New Brunswick are aligned in a SW to NE direction. The Maritime Plain, a triangular region with its base along the Northumberland Strait, covers about one-third of the province. This region is flat to gently undulating and lies mostly below 152 m (500 ft) in elevation. It is underlain by sedimentary rocks and has soils built on relatively stone-free glacial deposits. The New Brunswick Highlands region extends from Chaleur Bay SW and then along the coast of the Bay of Fundy. This region is highest in the N, where the average elevation exceeds 610 m (2000 ft); the province’s highest peak, Mt. Carleton, is here. The area along the Bay of Fundy has elevations that range from about 305 to 425 m (about 1000 to 1400 ft). Much of the highland region is underlain by hard granitic rocks and has thin, stony soils. The lower Saint John R. cuts through this region, and its narrow lowlands contain fertile alluvial soils. To the NW lies the Chaleur Uplands, a plateaulike region with an average elevation of about 305 m (about 1000 ft) and soils similar to those of the New Brunswick Highlands. A small portion of the Notre Dame Mts. is in the extreme NW. This region has a more rugged terrain.

Rivers and Lakes.

The province’s major rivers and its many smaller streams radiate outward from the interior highlands. The most important river, the Saint John R., rises in Maine and flows SE to the Bay of Fundy. The extremely high tides of the Bay of Fundy flow upstream, causing the famous phenomenon known as the Reversing Falls of the Saint John R. Other major rivers include the Restigouche, which has headwaters in the Chaleur Uplands and empties into Chaleur Bay, and the Miramichi, which cuts across the Maritime Plain to its outlet on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Many small lakes and a few larger ones occur in the glaciated upland regions. The largest natural lake is Grand Lake, which is only 2 m (7 ft) above sea level, even though it is more than 70 km (43 mi) from the open sea. Several reservoirs have been formed behind dams on the St. John R.

Climate.

The N half of New Brunswick has a distinctly continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers. The S half has a more moderate maritime climate, with milder winters and slightly cooler summers. The average annual temperature ranges from 2.8° C (37° F) in the N to 5° C (41° F) in the S. The recorded temperature has ranged from –47.2° C (–53° F) in 1955, at Sisson Dam in the NW, to 39.4° C (102.9° F) in 1935, at Nepisiguit Falls in the NE. The average annual precipitation ranges from 889 mm (35 in) in the N to 1143 mm (45 in) in the S. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Fog is common in the spring and early summer along the Bay of Fundy coast.

Plants and Animals.

Forests cover nearly 90% of the total land area of New Brunswick. The only unforested areas are the rocky glaciated highlands, the agricultural areas, and the boglands of the Maritime Plain. Most of the forestland contains both deciduous and coniferous trees. In the highland regions the principal species are sugar maple, yellow birch, hemlock, spruce, and pine. The Maritime Plain has a mixture dominated by red spruce, balsam fir, hemlock, pine, maple, and birch. Insect infestation, particularly by the spruce budworm, has resulted in substantial losses of commercial timber.

Wildlife in the forest regions is diverse. White-tailed deer, moose, and black bear are common. Furbearing animals such as the beaver, muskrat, mink, red fox, squirrel, chipmunk, and rabbit are also plentiful. Migratory birds, such as the blue heron, nest in the area in summer. Shorebirds include the gull, tern, cormorant, and puffin. The rivers, streams, and surrounding waters abound with fish. Among freshwater fish are trout, pike, bass, and Atlantic salmon.

Mineral Resources.

The most important mineral resources are found near Bathurst. Ores here contain zinc, lead, copper, cadmium, bismuth, gold, and silver. Gypsum is found near Havelock, and small coal deposits are located near Grand Lake. W.F.S., WILLIAM F. SUMMERS

POPULATION

According to the 2001 census, New Brunswick had 729,498 inhabitants, a decrease of 1.2% since the 1996 census, when New Brunswick registered 738,133 inhabitants. The overall population density in 2001 was about 10 people per sq km (26 per sq mi). English was the lone mother tongue of about 65% of the people; about 33% had French as their sole first language, a larger proportion than in any province other than Québec. About 12,500 American Indians lived in the province, more than half of them on reserves; other aboriginal groups included Métis (with a population of about 4000) and Inuit (about 200). A majority of the people belonged to the Roman Catholic church, which in 2001 had more than 380,000 members. New Brunswick had one of the least urbanized populations of any Canadian province; about 50.4% of the people lived in areas defined as urban and the rest lived in rural areas. The province’s only major cities are Saint John, Moncton, and Fredericton, the capital.

POPULATION OF NEW BRUNSWICK SINCE 1851
Year of
Census
Population Percentage of
Total Can. Pop.
1851 193,800 8.0%
1871 285,594 7.7%
1891 321,263 6.6%
1901 331,120 6.2%
1921 387,876 4.4%
1931 408,219 3.9%
1971 634,557 2.9%
1981 696,403 2.9%
1991 723,900 2.7%
1996 738,133 2.6%
2001 729,498 2.4%
POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST COMMUNITIES IN NEW BRUNSWICK
2001
Census
1996
Census
1991
Census
Saint John 69,661 72,494 74,969
Moncton 61,046 59,313 56,823
Fredericton 47,560 46,507 46,466
Miramichi 18,508 19,241 21,165
Edmundston 17,373 11,033 10,835
Riverview 17,010 16,684 16,370
Quispamsis* 13,757 8,839 8,446
Dieppe 14,951 12,497 10,650
Bathurst 12,924 13,815 14,409
Oromocto 8,843 9,194 9,325
*The Village of Gondola Point amalgamated with Quispamsis on Jan. 1, 1998.

EDUCATION AND CULTURAL ACTIVITY

New Brunswick has a strong cultural and educational heritage that reflects the influences of both its French- and English-speaking populations.

Education.

In 1816 the New Brunswick colonial legislature passed a law providing for the establishment of primary schools in all counties. The province’s modern public school system was established in 1871. In the early 1990s New Brunswick had 450 elementary and secondary schools with a combined annual enrollment of 141,650 students. There were few private schools. In the same period the province had 13 institutions of higher education, with about 22,450 students. Leading higher education institutions in New Brunswick include the University of New Brunswick (1785), at Fredericton, Canada’s oldest university; Mount Allison University (1840), at Sackville; and the French-language University of Moncton (1864).

Cultural Institutions.

Libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions are concentrated in Fredericton and Saint John. Major museums include the Beaverbrook Art Gallery (1959) and the Provincial Archives, both at Fredericton; the New Brunswick Museum (1842), with historical collections, at Saint John; and the Acadian Museum at the University of Moncton. Prominent libraries include the Harriet Irving Library (1790) of the University of New Brunswick at Fredericton, and the New Brunswick Museum Library, at Saint John. Also of note is the provincial legislative library, at Fredericton. Symphony New Brunswick is based in Saint John, and Theatre New Brunswick has its headquarters at the Playhouse in Fredericton. Acadian cultural activities are coordinated by Le Centre de Promotion et de Diffusion de la Culture, at Moncton.

Historical Sites.

Fort Beauséjour National Historic Site, E of Sackville, is the site of an 18th-century French fort. Remains of British defensive sites include the Carleton Martello Tower National Historical Site in Saint John and the Saint Andrews Blockhouse, dating from the early 19th century. At Saint John are several historic structures, including houses that were built by British Loyalists (see History below).

Sports and Recreation.

The scenic forests and rivers of New Brunswick furnish excellent opportunities for hunting, fishing, and boating. The province’s salmon streams are particularly well known. Winter sports are also popular.

Communications.

In the early 1990s New Brunswick was served by a comprehensive communications system, which included 12 commercial AM radio stations, 7 commercial FM radio stations, and 4 commercial television stations. The first radio station in the Atlantic provinces, CFNB, began broadcasting in Fredericton in 1923. In the early 1990s the province had four English-language daily newspapers and one French-language daily; their combined daily circulation was 148,100. New Brunswick’s first newspaper, the Royal Saint John Gazette and Nova Scotia Intelligencer, began publication in 1783. Today the leading papers are the Daily Gleaner, of Fredericton; the Telegraph-Journal, of Saint John; the Times-Transcript, of Moncton; and L’Acadie Nouvelle, of Caraquet.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

New Brunswick has a parliamentary form of government.

Executive.

The lieutenant governor, the nominal head of government, is appointed, usually for a term of five years, by the federal government. Actual power is held by the premier, who typically leads the strongest party in the legislature. The premier selects executive council (cabinet) ministers from among the members of the legislature.

Legislature.

The unicameral Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick consists of 55 members popularly elected for a maximum of five years, subject to earlier dissolution.

Judiciary.

The highest court in the province, the court of appeal, consists of a chief justice and five other judges. The Court of Queen’s Bench includes a trial division, with a total of 20 judges, and a family division, with 8 judges. All superior and district court judges in New Brunswick are appointed for life by the federal government (that is, by the governor-general in council). Minor cases are tried in provincial courts, with judges who are appointed by the provincial government.

Local Government.

Since 1967 counties have been replaced by the provincial government as the principal agent of local administration. Incorporated areas include 6 cities, 27 towns, and 84 villages, all of which have elective clerks and councils.

National Representation.

New Brunswick is represented in the Parliament of Canada by ten senators, appointed for life by the federal government, and ten elected members of the House of Commons.

Politics.

In federal and provincial politics New Brunswick in the 20th century was controlled for about equal periods by the Liberal and Conservative (or Progressive Conservative) parties. Although independents have occasionally been elected to Parliament from New Brunswick, third parties have traditionally had little impact on either the federal or provincial level. An exception is the anti-bilingual Confederation of Regions party, which finished second to the Liberals and ahead of the Progressive Conservatives in the September 1991 elections. Weakened by infighting, the Confederation of Regions party won no seats in elections four years later, as the Liberals swept to a third consecutive victory. The Tories won by a landslide in the provincial elections of June 1999, but four years later they saw their majority shrink from 47 to 28 seats in the 55-member legislature. In the federal elections of June 2004, Liberals took 7 of New Brunswick’s 10 seats in the House of Commons.

ECONOMY

Like much of Canada and especially like the other Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick has had, since its earliest settlement, an economy that is closely tied to its natural resources. Forestry products (including manufactured items) have been New Brunswick’s economic mainstay throughout its history. Both fishing and agriculture have declined in significance. Since the discovery of extensive base metal ore deposits in the 1950s, mineral production has increased dramatically. With the growth of service industries and specialized manufacturing, the province has a wider employment base than ever before.

Agriculture.

Farming accounts for only about 1% of the annual gross domestic product in New Brunswick. The province has some 3250 farms, which have an average size of 116 ha (285 acres). Due to poor soils, poor drainage, and the general stoniness of the land, only 5% of the land is cultivated. The areas most suitable for agriculture are found in the St. John R. valley and along the coasts. Potatoes are the leading crop, generating more than one-half of the total crop income. Other crops include vegetables, greenhouse products, and apples. Beef and dairy cattle are raised in many areas.

Forestry.

Forestry accounts for more than 2% of the annual gross domestic product in New Brunswick. The province provides about 5% of Canada’s total timber cut; nearly three-fourths of this is used to produce pulp. Spruce and balsam fir are the main softwood varieties, and maple is the predominant hardwood.

Fishing.

The fishing industry accounts for less than 1% of the annual gross domestic product in New Brunswick. Herring is the main catch and usually makes up about two-thirds (by weight) of all species caught. Cod, lobster, oysters, and crab are next in importance. Also caught are flounder, sole, and shrimp.

Mining.

The mining industry accounts for 3% of the annual gross domestic product in New Brunswick. The leading minerals, in order of value, are zinc, lead, coal, copper, peat, and silver. Between one-eighth and one-sixth of Canada’s lead, zinc, and silver are produced here. Of national importance, though not of overriding commercial value, is the production of bismuth (93% of the total Canadian output, by value) and antimony. Peat production is also significant, amounting to nearly 30% of the national total.

Manufacturing.

Enterprises engaged in manufacturing account for 16% of the annual gross domestic product in New Brunswick and employ about 44,000 workers. Industrial activity is dominated by the processing of natural resources. The leading manufactures are dairy items, fish, meat, and other foods and beverages; paper, especially newsprint; and paper and wood products. Fabricated metal goods, printed materials, nonmetallic minerals, and chemicals are also important. The most prominent industrial center is Saint John. Other industrial centers of importance are Moncton and Fredericton.

Tourism.

In the early 1990s, about 1.4 million nonresidents visited the province annually; total spending by all travelers generated approximately Can. $575 million a year for the New Brunswick economy. Among the most popular tourist spots are Magnetic Hill, in Moncton, the Reversing Falls of the Saint John R., in Saint John, and the Flowerpot Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. In addition to New Brunswick’s two national parks, some 48 provincial parks and recreation areas allow for camping in nearly every part of the province.

Transportation.

New Brunswick is served by a network of some 20,620 km (some 12,815 mi) of roads and highways. In addition, 1097 km (682 mi) of mainline railroad tracks cross the province. Because it is on the mainland of North America, New Brunswick relies less on water transportation than do the other Atlantic provinces. Saint John, however, is a major seaport, and it is also the terminus of the two major national railroad systems. Ice free in the winter months, the port handles 90% of the province’s import and export traffic. Moncton has the busiest airport; Fredericton and Saint John also have major air terminals.

Energy.

Electricity-generating plants in New Brunswick have a total capacity of about 3.5 million kw and produce about 15.8 billion kwh of electricity each year. Of the four Atlantic provinces, New Brunswick has the only nuclear installation; nuclear energy accounts for about one-third of the electricity generated in the province, and hydropower supplies about 19%. New Brunswick sells substantial amounts of electricity to other provinces and to the U.S. The largest thermal plant is found at Coleson Cove, the biggest hydroelectric station at Mactaquac, and the lone nuclear installation at Point Lepreau, on the Bay of Fundy. A.H., ALFRED HECHT, M.A., Ph.D.

HISTORY

The French mariner Jacques Cartier visited the east coast of the region constituting present-day New Brunswick in 1534. He and other early explorers found two Indian tribes in the region, the Malecite and the Micmac.

In 1604 the French explorers Samuel de Champlain and Pierre du Guast, sieur de Monts, established the first French settlement on an island at the mouth of the Saint Croix River. The settlement was abandoned the next year, but after 1631, when the French constructed Fort La Tour on the site of modern Saint John, colonists moved into the coastal area along the Bay of Fundy. The New Brunswick region then formed part of the French province of Acadia. Warfare between the French and British flared intermittently between 1689 and 1763. Great Britain obtained possession of mainland Acadia in 1713 under the terms of the Peace of Utrecht, the agreement ending the War of the Spanish Succession, but the French insisted that New Brunswick was not included. In 1755 the British defeated French forces at Fort Beauséjour and extended effective British rule to New Brunswick. In the same year, when the British expelled the Acadians from Nova Scotia, some 500 of the deportees settled in New Brunswick, substantially augmenting its population. In 1762 the first British settlement in New Brunswick was established at Saint John. Many British Loyalists fled there from the American colonies during and after the American Revolution, and in 1784 New Brunswick, which had been administered as a part of Nova Scotia, became a separate colony.

Confederation.

After the Napoleonic Wars many British immigrants came to New Brunswick, and the colony entered a period of prosperity based on fishing, shipbuilding, and lumbering. New Brunswick joined with Nova Scotia and the United Province of Canada (which became Québec and Ontario), to form the Dominion of Canada under the terms of the British North America Act of 1867.

Railroad building followed confederation. The Intercolonial Railway (now the Canadian National Railway), linking New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with Montréal, was completed in 1876. The Canadian Pacific Railway line from Montréal to Moncton, by way of northern Maine, was finished before the close of the century. Other local lines were built, some before confederation.

Agriculture and the timber trade declined in the late 19th century. Contributory causes were the opening up of the western grain country, the industrialization of central Canada, and tariff restrictions that cut New Brunswick off from its natural trade channels to the U.S. and Europe. The long freight haul to the central Canadian markets inhibited trade in that direction.

The provincial economy slowly recovered during the 20th century. The introduction of the pulp and paper industry brought new life and a more stable character to lumbering. Agriculture gained greatly with the cultivation of potatoes for export. The fishing industry expanded, and methods of fishing were improved. New industries appeared, particularly those aimed at supplying provincial needs. The exploitation of hydroelectric resources, mining discoveries, and the general growth of Canada as a whole helped to improve economic conditions.

The 1960s and After.

Liberal Premier Louis J. Robichaud (1925–2005), an Acadian, took office in 1960 and carried forward a number of key reforms designed to provide equal opportunity to all citizens. His administration rationalized county and municipal government, expanded social and educational services, and established the official equality of the French and English languages. That last action was in recognition of the growth in the Acadian segment to about 39 percent of the population by 1961. Robichaud also pursued, often with federal assistance, a strategy of industrialization to create the jobs necessary to bring living standards up to the national average.

His Progressive Conservative party successor, Richard Bennett Hatfield (1931–91), premier from 1970 to 1987, continued Robichaud’s policies of development. The failure of some enterprises, notably a government-backed automobile manufacturing plant, a waning federal enthusiasm for subsidized development, a 5-year ban on commercial salmon fishing, and a slump in the lumbering industry slowed economic progress. At the same time, construction of a new container facility made Saint John the rival to Halifax as Canada’s year-round port in the east.

In the 1987 election the Liberals, led by Frank McKenna (1948– ), swept all 58 seats in the legislature. McKenna was a leading opponent of the Meech Lake accord (calling for the recognition of Québec as a “distinct society” within the Dominion); he later modified his stand to avoid alienating Québec. He won another majority in 1991, but the new Confederation of Regions party, which was critical of French power and social change, took eight seats. McKenna and the Liberals won for a third time in 1995, as the Progressive Conservatives returned to their official opposition role and the Confederation of Regions failed to win a single seat.

After McKenna retired in October 1997, Ray Frenette (1935– ) became interim premier. He was succeeded as premier and Liberal party leader in May 1998 by Camille Thériault (1955– ). A landslide Conservative win in June 1999 made Bernard Lord (1965– ) the youngest premier ever elected in the province; he led his party to a narrow victory over the resurgent Liberals four years later. A provincewide ban on smoking in indoor workplaces and nearly all enclosed public spaces took effect Oct. 1, 2004. Rev. by P.R., PAUL FREDERIC WILLIAM RUTHERFORD, M.A., Ph.D.

Note: An article from Funk & Wagnalls® New Encyclopedia.

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