15 August, 2004 - National Acadian Day National Acadian Day will
be celebrated, as it is each year, on the 15th of August. Since the
Congrés Mondial Acadien 2004 will be held in Nova Scotia this
year, visit <http://www.novascotia.com/acadian/acadianfe.htm> for events.
In a not-so-unrelated press release, the Canadian
Press is reporting that Madonna may have Acadian roots. Her mother’s
roots are in the FORTIN family from Quebec, but there may be an Acadian
branch further back in the genealogy.
13-21 August, 2005 - Red River Settlement Descendants Reunion (Advance Notice) The Red River Settlement
Descendants Reunion will take place this August at the Lower Fort Garry
Historic Site on the 175th anniversary of that fort.
This reunion is to bring together descendants of
Manitoba’s original fur trading families who settled in the Red River
Settlement, to celebrate their heritage and re-establish connections.
These settlers would have worked for the Hudson’s
Bay Company (HBC), and specifically, at Lower Fort Garry. The stories
of these descendants will be collected and published in book form.
The registration form, etc., can be accessed at <http://www.redriverdescendantsreunion.org>, along with information on accommodation, schedule events, tours, church services, and workshops.
For more information, please e-mail <rr.reunion@3web.net>.
20 July, 2004 - Government Picks Frulla as New Heritage Minister Liza Frulla, the new
Minister of Canadian Heritage—and Member of Parliament for
Verdun-Saint-Henri-Saint-Paul-Pointe-Saint-Charles, Quebec—was first
elected to the house in a 2002 by-election.
She was member of Quebec's National Assembly from
1989 to 1998, where she briefly served as Communications and Cultural
Minister under then-Premier Robert Bourassa.
She has yet to make a major speech on Canadian heritage, but hopefully she will soon.
Parliament is expected to be covened in September.
