By a unanimous vote, members of the Prince Edward Island Legislature have chosen to ask the federal government to change the name of the Epekwitk Crossing Confederation bridge.
“Obviously the name change will certainly have some legal consequences,” said PEI Prime Minister Dennis King. “And obviously, if that happens, there will be a significant marketing campaign to explain what it is and why it is.”
Epekwitk is the traditional term in Mi’kmaw to describe PEI, which means ‘something lying on the water’.
Brad Manderville worked on the bridge in the 1990s.
“I was a surveyor there, so I actually took care of putting the first pieces of the bridge in the water … I remember the competition for its original naming, so if they want to change, it would be a great idea,” Manderville said. of the name. “
Twenty-six years ago, Ottawa abandoned the idea of naming it Epekwitk Crossing, opposing the panel that invented it, and preferring the second choice, the Confederation Bridge.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Colin Curry. “I think we are much more aware of our past now than we were before, and this is part of the debate we are having as a society now. So I fully support the name change.”
“As non-native settlers, we are neighbors on this earth. We must now acknowledge that we must make room for local history. “
Some in New Brunswick drew parallels with the name of the St. John’s River.
“I actually think it’s a really great idea,” said Susan Holt. “We need to take meaningful steps towards reconciliation, and I think that recognizing the original name of the land really pays tribute to the Mikmak people. I think we need to take steps here in Fredericton to do the same for the Wolastock River.”
An islander living in Fredericton said he would be glad to see the change.
“I’m sure some people won’t be very happy about it, but I’ll be glad to see it,” said Ryan Chiason. “I have no real attachment to the name Confederation Bridge. m from PEI and everything is called “Confederation”, I think that if we remove the name Confederation from one thing, it will be fine. “
The United Nations has announced an International Decade in Local Languages, which will begin in 2022.
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