Moncton Coun. Pierre Boudreau says Service Canada's decision to designate Atlantic Canada an anglophone administrative region is an attack on Acadians. CBC

A Moncton city councillor is angry that Service Canada has eliminated the bilingual designation for Atlantic Canada.

Pierre Boudreau said the "outrageous" decision to designate the region as a single anglophone administrative area ignores that New Brunswick is a bilingual province.

''It's a flagrant and disrespectful affront to the Acadian population'— Coun. Pierre Boudreau

He said it will be more difficult to attract francophone immigrants to Moncton in particular as a direct consequence of the decision.

He also called the move an attack on the 300,000 Acadians in the region.

"In my estimation, it's a flagrant and disrespectful affront to the Acadian population that the Canadian government is supposed to be serving," Boudreau said.

He said the decision was made in secret with no consultation with any Acadian groups and accused the federal government of trying to assimilate Acadians.

Boudreau said he had to speak out as a city councillor in a bilingual city and province. He wants the federal government to reverse the decision before the next federal election and designate Atlantic Canada a bilingual region.