HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia's new lieutenant-governor takes 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 that the Acadians are a resilient people.

"It has taken time but Acadians have done very well in the province," said LeBlanc, a 74-year-old soft-spoken man with a gentle demeanour sporting a paisley bow-tie and gleaming shoes.

"I see the future with a glass half-full outlook rather than glass half-empty," he said before the ceremony. "We can accomplish more by working positively for change."

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.

"My hope is that I will be able to listen attentively, speak softly and act judiciously," he said.

Premier Stephen McNeil called LeBlanc a "first-class lawyer" and "distinguished jurist."

"Throughout his legal career, (LeBlanc) has served his province and its people with distinction," he said in a statement, wishing him "every success in his new role as the representative of Her Majesty the Queen."

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 during his speech at Province House. "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."

The position "reaches back to the earliest days of contact between the Mi'kmaq and those French adventurers who arrived at Annapolis Royal more than four centuries ago," he said.

LeBlanc said he aims to promote the province's diverse heritages and cultures, including Mi'kmaq, African Nova Scotian, Scottish and Acadian.

He said celebrations planned at Grand Pre to commemorate the relationship between the Mi'kmaq and Acadians provide a "wonderful opportunity for all Nova Scotians to learn more about this important aspect of our shared history."

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.

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 has three grown sons, Pierre, Andre and Robert, with his wife Patsy LeBlanc.

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.