Nova Scotia’s new lieutenant-governor took office Wednesday, the province’s first Acadian to represent the Crown centuries after the Expulsion.
Arthur LeBlanc, sworn in as the 33rd lieutenant-governor at Province House, said the deportation of his ancestors is a dark period in Nova Scotia’s history but the Acadians are a resilient people.
“It has taken time but Acadians have done very well in the province,” LeBlanc, a soft-spoken 74-year-old with a gentle demeanour, said in an interview before the ceremony.
“I see the future with a glass half-full outlook rather than glass half-empty,” he said. “We can accomplish more by working positively for change. My hope is that I will be able to listen attentively, speak softly and act judiciously.”
READ MORE: Meet your new Nova Scotia lieutenant-governor: Arthur LeBlanc
Premier Stephen McNeil said he was thrilled to be Nova Scotia’s premier when the first Acadian lieutenant-governor takes office.
“I think all of us are looking forward to you raising the Acadian flag down at Government House,” he told the officials, politicians and guests gathered in the Red Chamber at Province House.
“I hate to tell you though, you not only have the Acadian community on your shoulders,” McNeil said. “You have all of us on your shoulders as you assume this new role.”
The swearing-in started with a Mi’kmaq smudging ceremony and included speeches and a rendition of The Rankin Family’s We Rise Again before ending with God Save the Queen.
READ MORE: Baillie mulls political future as Nova Scotia settles back to status quo
LeBlanc wore a dark blue suit, crimson tie, and the official emblem of the Order of Nova Scotia, while his wife, Patsy, wore a demure pale pink skirt-suit and matching hat.
He said he aims to promote the province’s diverse heritages and cultures, including Mi’kmaq, African Nova Scotian, Scottish and Acadian.
“No longer is it extraordinary for people from a myriad of different backgrounds to rise to hold office,” LeBlanc said in a speech. “How far we have come since the expulsion of the Acadians, maltreatment of the Mi’kmaq, the events at Africville and the sectarian and linguistic imbroglios of the not-so-distant past.”
LeBlanc, who served as a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge for nearly two decades, was named lieutenant-governor by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this month.
Lieutenant-governors represent the Queen in their respective provinces, handling her roles and functions both ceremonial and constitutional, including granting royal assent to laws.
In 1755, the governor of Nova Scotia ordered the heart-wrenching deportation of thousands of Acadians who refused to pledge allegiance to the Crown. More than 10,000 Acadians across the Maritimes were displaced over several years.
“I am Acadian and I am very proud of that heritage,” LeBlanc said in the Red Chamber. “I am the first person of direct Acadian ancestry to serve as the Crown’s representative in our province and also the first francophone since Governor Daniel d’Auger de Subercase in 1713.”
LeBlanc and his wife will be provided with a one-bedroom suite at Government House, which has a household staff of nine including a chef.
READ MORE: Nova Scotians elect Stephen McNeil’s Liberals to second straight majority government
Government House, the oldest such building in North America, is also used for about 170 public functions each year and has suites for visiting dignitaries and members of the royal family.
The lieutenant-governor is paid $144,000 a year. LeBlanc said he will donate a portion of his salary towards post-secondary education.
He said encouraging young people to pursue higher education will be one of his goals while in office, as will promoting healthy and active lifestyles, particularly for seniors.
Born in West Arichat, N.S., in 1943, LeBlanc graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in 1964 with a commerce degree and earned a law degree from Dalhousie University in 1968.
He and his wife have three grown sons, Pierre, Andre and Robert.
LeBlanc replaces retired brigadier-general John James Grant in the vice-regal job, who plans to return to his home in New Glasgow with his wife, Joan.