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'Robbing Peter to pay Pierre'

They called him a man of destiny, and indeed he was. Louis Robichaud was born to a large Acadian family and educated in a one-room schoolhouse. Dedicated to his province, he had lifelong ambitions to improve the lot of Acadians and New Brunswickers alike. On June 27, 1960, he became the province's first-elected Acadian premier and for a decade he pushed for progress like no other before him.

The Program for Equal Opportunity was meant to equalize the haves and the have-nots. Instead, it has polarized the province into two opposing ethnic camps. Supporters love "P'tit Louis" and the social, economic and political improvements he's worked hard to implement. But his critics call him a dictator, accuse him of patronage, characterize him as power-hungry, and say that he is helping the French at the expense of the province's anglophones.

It has become a fight against what some characterize as Robichaud's master plan to "rob Peter to pay Pierre." In this CBC Television program, local politicians and businessmen criticize the Robichaud government for what they feel is grossly unjust treatment.
. At the time of the 1967 election, the Irving-owned newspapers ridiculed Robichaud mercilessly in political cartoons. The Robichaud government won every seat in the French ridings but lost almost all of their seats in the English regions. He was able to secure victory thanks to his success in the mixed ridings.
Medium: Television
Program: CBC Newsmagazine
Broadcast Date: Feb. 15, 1966
Guest(s): Don A. Bishop, Fred Butler, Edward Byrne, J.A. Rioux, Louis Robichaud, C.B. Sherwood, Michael Wardell, Mark Yeoman
Host: Kingsley Brown
Duration: 22:13

Last updated: January 31, 2012

Page consulted on March 22, 2013

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