For the past 10 years, the Lafayette, La., lawyer has been pushing for an apology from the British Crown on behalf of himself, his long-dead ancestors and the over one million Acadians and Cajuns in Canada and the United States.

Perrin sees himself as a survivor of one of the worst cases of ethnic cleansing in the history of North America -- the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia in 1755.

The decision by British governors to remove an entire ethnic population -- the French-speaking Acadians -- from the colony of Nova Scotia had consequences that resonated for generations.

Now, on the verge of the year 2000, many Acadians are still affected by their tragic past and the difficulties it imposed on their lives.

"It defines us," Perrin, a descendant of Acadians, says of the expulsion.

"It is the defining event in our history. It's a precursor to what we now call ethnic cleansing."

Perrin is still furious about the expulsion, which labelled all Acadians international criminals and rebels. He's also outraged by the fact that the deportation order has never been rescinded.

"We're a people in perpetual exile," he says angrily.

"The law is still on the books deporting Acadians forever. It's not being enforced, but technically, the law still labels me an international criminal."

Perrin believes he is getting closer to an apology.

He notes the British have been saying they're sorry to lots of folks lately, including the aboriginals of New Zealand, the victims of the Boer war and the Irish driven from their homeland by the potato famine.

"It's going to happen," Perrin says confidently. "There is a movement now towards this form of conciliation and it's carrying along the Acadians."

While there have been several calls from others for a formal apology from the Queen, there isn't a hue and cry for such a gesture here in New Brunswick, the heartland of Acadian life and culture.

The expulsion order was never annulled, but many Acadians forced out of what are now the Maritime provinces gradually drifted back following a peace treaty between France and England in 1763.

Some never left the region, but went into hiding in the dense forests of New Brunswick.

Others, like Perrin's ancestors, sailed south to Louisiana where, over the centuries, they lost their language and much of their cultural identity in the huge U.S. melting pot.

There are no reliable population figures for the Acadians in 1755, but it's believed about 11,000 were deported between 1755 and 1758 while another 3,000 hid.

There are now about 245,000 francophones, most of them Acadians, in New Brunswick, with another 34,000 Acadians in Nova Scotia and 5,500 in Prince Edward Island.

Perrin believes there are at least a million people in the U. S., mostly in Louisiana, who can claim Acadian ancestry.

"The deportation isn't discussed much these days," says historian Leon Theriault of the University of Moncton.

"It happened too long ago. But still, the deportation for us is the equivalent to the conquest for Quebecers. The deportation decapitated Acadian society."

Forced Exile

Some facts about Acadians living in the Maritimes:

Where: Largest concentration in northern New Brunswick. About 245,000 Acadians make up one-third of New Brunswick population. Nova Scotia has 34,000 francophones, Prince Edward Island has 5,500.

History: Settlers from France first set up communities in Nova Scotia in 1604. It's estimated as many as 11,000 Acadians were deported from 1755 to 1758 after refusing to swear allegiance to the British crown. Another 3,000 or so hid in forests of what is now New Brunswick.

Today: Economic troubles persist on New Brunswick's Acadian peninsula. Assimilation is a problem, although slowed in New Brunswick by official bilingualism. Moncton is fast becoming Acadian business and cultural centre. New sense of Acadian pride reflected in international francophone summit held in Moncton in September.