<P> The Acadians in northern New Brunswick had long been geographically and linguistically isolated from the more numerous English speakers to the south . The population of French origin grew dramatically after Confederation, from about 16 per cent in 1871 to 34 per cent in 1931 . Government services were often not available in French, and the infrastructure in Francophone areas was less developed than elsewhere . In 1960 Premier Louis Robichaud embarked on the New Brunswick Equal Opportunity program, in which education, rural road maintenance, and healthcare fell under the sole jurisdiction of a provincial government that insisted on equal coverage throughout the province, rather than the former county - based system . </P> <P> The flag of New Brunswick, based on the coat of arms, was adopted in 1965 . The conventional heraldic representations of a lion and a ship represent colonial ties with Europe, and the importance of shipping at the time the coat of arms was assigned . </P> <P> Roughly square, New Brunswick is bordered on the north by Quebec, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Bay of Fundy, and on the west by the US state of Maine . The southeast corner of the province is connected to Nova Scotia at the isthmus of Chignecto . </P> <P> Glaciation has left much of New Brunswick's uplands with only shallow, acidic soils which have discouraged settlement, but are home to enormous forests . </P>

The bay that divides new brunswick and nova scotia