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Maritime UnionMaritime Union is an idea to unite the Canadian Maritimes, which consist of the three canadian provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. It was a meeting of Maritime delegates in Charlottetown in 1864 to discuss the idea of union that lead to a greater Canadian Confederation. History The idea for Maritime Union is not a new one. The region, at the time of French colonization, was refered to in it's entirity as Acadia. After the British invaded, the made the entire region a single colony, named Nova Scotia which remains as one province making up this region. Prior to the American War of Independence both Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton were made independent colonies. After the revoulition, many loyalists settled in northern Nova Scotia, as a result, that area became the seperate colony of New Brunswick. Prior to Canadian Confederation, Cape Breton was rejoined to Nova Scotia. Support The idea has a large base of support in and around Halifax, as well as in mainland Nova Scotia. Support is growing in the english areas of New Brunswick. Moncton, which is perhaps the fastest growing area of the maritimes, and is called the hub city due to it's central location in the maritimes is seeing a growing support for the idea, especially amongst the economic crowd, which views this as a way to expand the economy of the region. Opposition is concentrated in three areas. Cape Breton, which already feels left out in Nova Scotia, does not want it's population, and therefore power, further diluted by a union. Prince Edward Island, which has been a seperate entity for centuries, does not want to lose its independence. Acadians in Northern and Eastern New Brunswick fear furhter dominance by the english, and oppose the idea on that ground. Issues Many issues face any union of the provinces. The first of which would be the name of the new county. Many in Nova Scotia would wish to see the new province be named Nova Scotia, due to history. Other suggestions include The Maritimes, Acadia, and New Acadia. Another major issue is that of language, it has been suggested that anything less then a bi-lingual province, will not see support from acadians. One issue that often avoids debate, is where the capitol would be located. Halifax feels itself naturally suited to this, but many New Brunswickers and Prince Edward Islanders would nominate Moncton as a compromise, being strong economicaly, the second most populace urban area in the maritimes, and for being so centrally located. As an added bonus, Moncton is a bi-lingual area, and would make a good choice of a capitol for a bi-lingual province.
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