In 1604, a small group of migrants fled political turmoil and famine in France to start a new colony on Canadaþs east coast. Their roughly demarcated territory included what are now Canadaþs Maritime provinces, land that was fought over by the British and French empires until the Acadians were finally expelled in 1755. In the absence of a state, what defines an Acadian today is elusive, and while their community, centred in New Brunswick, is more confident than ever, it is entering a contentious debate about its future.