Public commemoration raises important questions about the selective nature of historical memory and its representation in the public sphere. Our purpose is to explore the stories, explain the origins and bring attention to a series of statues, memorials and other cultural markers within the provincial landscape.

Our features on this theme include the following:

• Minto, 1932: On 28 July three boys and two men died in an abandoned mine shaft. This event is commemorated on a local plaque in Minto and helps us tell the story of local working class heroes and of the coal miners' struggle for recognition in provincial labour history. [ more ]
• Day of Mourning: 28 April: In 1984 the Canadian Labour Congress declared an annual Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job. Federal legislation followed in 1991, and New Brunswick passed a Workers Mourning Day Act in 2000. There are monuments in all parts of the province, and our page will tell you the location and background for each of them. [ more ]
• Escuminac, 1959: A fishing disaster in June 1959 took the lives of 35 men and boys on Miramichi Bay. The tragedy drew sympathy and support from all across Canada and provides insight into local living and working conditions in the fisheries. Claude Roussel's monument at Escuminac is one of Canada's major works of public art. [ more ]
• Cotton Mill Workers Monument: A new labour landmark was added to the provincial landscape in October 2007. Here on our website follow the story of the monument at the site of the Milltown Cotton Mill in St. Stephen. [ more ]