Some of Kouchibouguac's former residents want land back

Some former residents of Kouchibouguac National park say they want their properties back.
         
The federal government expropriated the park land on the east coast of New Brunswick from 1,200 people in the 1970s to create the park north of Moncton.

Vickie Hebert leads the residents of seven Acadian villages who were expropriated by the federal government. 

This week, Hebert said they've presented a new list of demands to the park superintendent.

“They want their land back. Others want compensation for the damage, people want fishing rights, even hunting rights,” she said.

Hebert says they have more meetings planned with Parks Canada.

She said how their demands impact the current facility is up to the government to manage.

“This expropriation was so abusive, an injustice, the lands were taken for hardly any money,” she said.

“People were left with hardly anything so this is why I call it a real deportation.”

Hebert said the residents won their first victory two years ago when Parks Canada agreed to repair and expand the St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery as a token of reconciliation.

The former residents also won the right to continue to be buried in the cemetery.

And they're eligible for free passes into the park.

CBC News called Parks Canada but no one returned the calls.