Aboriginal affairs minister says province won’t enact change sought by Wolastoqey chiefs, racism commissioner

CBC News: New Brunswick’s minister of Aboriginal affairs says the province won’t change the name of the St. John River to the Wolastoq, saying it’s not a priority.

First Nations chiefs have been calling for the name change for years. Last year, New Brunswick’s systemic racism commissioner recommended including Wolastoq in a new name for the river. On Wednesday, Green Party Leader David Coon asked Arlene Dunn, the Aboriginal affairs minister, about the idea during a committee meeting at the legislature.

“There’s no intention of renaming the St. John River,” Dunn responded. “It is crossing international boundaries, and it’s not something that’s gonna be on the government’s radar in terms of making that change.”

The 673-kilometre-long waterway begins in Maine and forms part of the Canada-U.S. border. It flows south through the cities of Fredericton and Saint John, where it empties into the Bay of Fundy.

Dunn was asked by reporters Thursday why the province wouldn’t rename the river, but her answer covered other issues she called a higher priority. “It’s not something that’s taking priority and there hasn’t been a lot of discussion with respect to it,” Dunn said. She said her priority is instead changing racist place names.

She said renaming the river is “much more complicated” because it crosses an international border, but said she hasn’t approached other governments, such as the state of Maine, to discuss the issue. Dunn acknowledged there are those who want the name changed, but said there are “many others who also want it to stay the same, so we have to respect those opinions on both sides.”

Wolastoqey leaders have wanted the name restored to what they consider its original name, Wolastoq, meaning “beautiful and bountiful river,” as a reconciliation step and a move to help revive their language. The Wolastoqey say the river was renamed by French explorer Samuel de Champlain without their consultation.

St. Mary’s First Nation Chief Allan Polchies Jr. says the decision reflects how the government handles reconciliation.  “The government just wants to put roadblocks [up] because the Indigenous people are asking for it,” Polchies said in an interview Thursday.  “And again, it’s a fight after a fight after a fight.”

Wolastoqey leaders formally requested the province change it back to its traditional name in 2021.

In her final report, Manju Varma, the commissioner of systemic racism, recommended the river be renamed the “Wolastoq Saint John,” a recommendation Wolastoqey chiefs called “tone deaf.”

• Racism report’s idea for naming river ‘Wolastoq Saint John’ is tone deaf, chief says
• We should be included in talks about St. John River’s name change, chief says

After the report was released, Polchies said he wished the province would better consult Indigenous leaders and do more effective research before making recommendations on their behalf. A spokesperson for the provincial government told CBC in December after the report was released that it would take time to consider the recommendation. It’s unclear what that consideration involved, and whether the province consulted anyone.

After Dunn’s comments in the legislature Wednesday, Coon said he was “sad to hear” her answer. On Thursday, Dunn was asked why it wouldn’t be a priority given the long-standing recommendation from chiefs and the systemic racism report’s recommendation. 

“I appreciate the fact that they’ve asked for it, and I certainly appreciate that this is something that they want to see happen, but this is not something that we’re prepared to do.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shane Magee, Reporter

Shane Magee is a Moncton-based reporter for CBC. He can be reached at shane.magee@cbc.ca.