$4.6 million estimated price tag if Universite de Moncton changes name

A sign outside of the Université de Moncton. (Derek Haggett./CTV Atlantic)

MONCTON, N.B. -

Two officials commissioned to study a possible name change for the Université de Moncton say the exercise could cost as much as $4.6 million.

Political scientist Stephanie Chouinard and historian Maurice Basque presented their findings this morning, outlining the troubling legacy of Robert Monckton as well as the implications of wiping his name from the New Brunswick school.

Monckton was a colonial British officer who participated in the deportation of French-speaking Acadians from Eastern Canada in the 18th century.

Basque said the "atrocities" committed against Acadian people in what is now New Brunswick, including assaults on Acadian women, occurred under Monckton's command.

The Université de Moncton, Canada's largest French-language university outside Quebec, commissioned Chouinard and Basque's report after more than 1,000 people signed a petition earlier this year seeking to sever the school's connection to Monckton.

Chouinard and Basque did not include recommendations for the school in their report, nor did they weigh in on whether the school should change its name, saying it's now up to the university's board of governors to determine next steps.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2023.

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