(Moncton) The Université de Moncton has launched a process to possibly change its name, which is associated with Robert Monckton, a British military officer involved in the imprisonment and deportation of Acadians.
The largest French-speaking Canadian university outside Quebec has indicated that it will appoint two officials to study a popular request for a name change. The review in question will examine the political, social, legal, economic and reputational implications of such a decision.
More than a thousand people have signed a petition this year to remove all ties from the university to Robert Monckton. Several politicians, lawyers and artists have also called for the name change.
“Our university listens to its communities. We do so with full transparency and in accordance with our institutional values,” Rector and Vice-Chancellor Denis Prud’homme said in a statement.
The establishment was founded in 1963 and owes its name to the city of Moncton, where one of its three campuses is located. It is the most populous city in New Brunswick.
Moncton is home to many Acadians. During the Great Deportation in the 18th century, thousands of them were expelled by the British authorities. Many died of disease or starvation.
“A decision as crucial as whether or not to change the name of the University requires a rigorous process,” added Denise Frenette, Vice-President of the University Council. This is why Board members need more information and evidence to be able to make an informed decision. We will leave it up to those in charge to carry out their mandate with all the independence required. »
Questions about the university’s name come as Canada grapples with dark parts of its history and questions how it commemorates historical figures linked to racism, sexism and slavery.
In neighboring Nova Scotia, several communities have removed the Cornwallis name from municipal properties. A statue of military officer Edward Cornwallis has also been removed from a park in Halifax.
The former governor of the province is the father of the Scalping Proclamation of 1749, which offered a bounty to anyone who killed Mi’kmaq men, women or children.
Metropolitan Toronto University was formerly named Ryerson University, after Egerton Ryerson, who helped found the residential school system for Indigenous children
Other countries have also started a similar reflection. The United States grapples with the legacy of the Confederacy, as the United Kingdom moves to remove monuments honoring slaveholders and colonialists.