Keys to History

For about 25 years now, a number of collectives have been listing and compiling biographies of Acadian women known for their social commitment. These accounts help publicize the important role that women have played in Acadian society. A book by Thérèse Lemieux and Gemma Caron, Silhouettes acadiennes, includes some 200 short biographies of Acadian women, including Béatrice Allain Doiron, born in 1927.

Her passion for teaching did not keep Béatrice Doiron from entering municipal politics. She became the first Acadian woman mayor in New Brunswick when she was elected mayor of Bas Caraquet in 1974. She was re-elected in 1980.

There are 40 municipalities in New Brunswick with majority French-speaking populations. They wield considerable political influence. Nova Scotia has only one, the municipality of Clare, in the southwestern part of the province.