But this name, and the debate surrounding it, is nothing new. In fact, it was the preferred choice of a committee headed by former island’s Prime Minister Alex Campbell, who in 1996 selected it from a short list of three names from thousands of submissions from across Canada. “Span of Green Gables, Spud Highway, Abegweit, Confederation Bridge, the Fixed Link – there [were] “Many names for it,” said Raymond Sewell, a professor of English at St. Louis University. Mary. In 2014, Sewell submitted his dissertation on the history of the bridge, its name and what it meant for Canadian and island identity. Sewell, a Mi’kmaw man from the Pabineau First Nation in New Brunswick, said he chose this topic because he was always interested in how names and symbols shape the way Indigenous people, islanders and Canadians. Prior to the construction of the bridge, the islanders relied on boats to connect with the mainland. (Shane Hennessey / CBC)
He said those concerns were obvious. “Then I had a premonition that in the future it would be renamed,” he said. “When you call it something like a Confederation that was so damaging, of course people will want to change it. At some point, the zeal, the sense of the time, the spirit of the time, will change.” I think the spirit of the time is so colonial. as long as it was “.

The concept of Confederation

Campbell’s naming panel was tasked with selecting names based on four criteria. The name of the bridge had to:

They reflect historically important sites or events. Be important to the local area or the rest of Canada. If it was named after a Canadian, the person must have died. Human concepts such as peace and friendship would be welcome in the proposals.

Three names ended up on the list: Northumberland Strait Bridge, Confederation Bridge and Abegweit Crossing. Abegweit is the English orthography of Epekwitk, the PEI name in the Mi’kmaw language. It means “swing in the waves”. “[My father described it] “Like a feather or something floating in the waves,” Sewell said. “I have no idea who Prince Edward is. But when I’re on land and looking there, I see the Epekwitk, you know? It’s so beautiful. It describes the geological features.” But the federal government has not committed itself to setting up the commission. On September 27, 1996, Public Works Minister Diane Marleau announced that the structure would be called the Confederation Bridge, which a newspaper article at the time pointed out was the most common proposal in all but two provinces.

“It would mean so much to so many,” the prime minister said of renaming the bridge Epekwitk Crossing.

With the support of opposition leaders as well as PEI senators, Prime Minister Dennis King presented a proposal Friday calling on the federal government to change the name of the Confederation Bridge to Epekwitk Crossing. 2:00 p.m.
Wayne Easter, then a Malpeque MP, told the House of Commons at the time that the name was a recognition of “the important role that the PEI played in Canada’s rich history”. Sewell wrote in his dissertation that by choosing this name, the federal government shifted the momentum from the region to the federation, and it was the perfect opportunity to reinforce a narrative of Canadianness that began with this historic event. “The word ‘confederation’ [means] a sovereign union united by a common action or purpose. “In this case, it was the scourge and the removal of indigenous peoples from the continent,” he said. “The Confederation is not benevolent. In this context, it is extreme. It celebrates the Confederate fathers who gather to destroy the environment, the resources – you know, the native intellectual. So to me, it meant everything then and it means everything. now.”

“Half-baked and temporary measures” have been terminated

Godfrey Baldacchino, Canada’s former research director of Island Studies at PEI University, said in an email that the choice may have been particularly significant because of the federal government’s commitment to “continuous and regular communication” between the island and the mainland, first took place when the other partners were trying to get PEI to join the Confederation in the late 19th century. The stable connection “obviously put an end to the half-baked and temporary measures that had been envisaged for 124 years,” he said. But Baldacchino said the name change proposed last week was also significant, as it reflected the practice of indigenous people who have traveled to and from the island for thousands of years. He believes that the inhabitants of the islands will eventually warm up with the new name. “The new name reflects, as the name implies, contemporary concerns, attitudes and values,” UPEI historian Ed MacDonald told CBC News in an email. “I dare say that renaming the bridge will not diminish the importance of the Confederation – for better or for worse – in our collective history.”

The big discussion

Back in 1996, the reception for the recently announced name of the “Confederation Bridge” was the subject of controversy. “It will be easy to remember because everyone connects Prince Edward Island with the Confederation.” said an islander interviewed by CBC News shortly after the name was chosen. “I think it’s a very appropriate name. Very appropriate.” “Don’t you think you could dig deeper, find something better?” said another. Keptin John Joe Sark even led a public campaign to rename the bridge, saying that if the government did not do so, he and other indigenous community leaders would float under the bridge to “name or curse it. “. “It’s a name that has been imposed on the people of this province,” he told CBC News in 1996. “Why should politicians in Ottawa who know little about our history and culture have the privilege of naming themselves such a vital link in our province?” “I think there were a lot of people who wanted the name Abegweit as the name for the bridge,” said Donald Stewart, who lives in Charlottetown.

Divisive work

Stewart was one of the many activists who opposed the construction of the bridge, mainly for environmental reasons. He said that at the time, everything to do with the bridge was divisive. In 1988, the province held a public referendum on whether the bridge should be built. Sixty percent of the islanders voted for it. Construction began in late 1993 and opened in 1997. “[The bridge] created a great deal of discussion among the islanders. “Every resident of the island had an opinion on it and it was a good topic of discussion,” Stewart said. “We have to think about what we thought was important on Prince Edward Island and what we thought was important on Prince Edward Island.” Stewart said he gradually came around to acknowledging that the bridge was good for PEI Now, it would be okay with another change. “I am absolutely in favor of the name change,” he said. “I think it is a great opportunity to support our indigenous languages ​​and it shows respect and importance for the language.”

A simple gesture

When he was younger, Sewell often traveled on the bridge. He is big enough that he still remembers taking the ship with his father before the opening was built and how much more convenient the bridge is. He did not think much about the name of the bridge or what it meant then. However, he said that for the young natives and children of the future, the simple gesture of renaming him would make a difference. “If I were that kid who walked around and looked and saw the names of my place with traditional names, I would feel so, so happy and included,” he said. “Seeing traditional names is like an Easter egg hunt for me … I can understand my area through traditional nomenclature. I know a child would feel that.”