StFX SCHOLAR
StFX Scholar is the official repository of St. Francis Xavier University (StFX), offering a secure and free platform to share publications, academic outputs, and other works of StFX faculty, staff, and students.
StFX Scholar is also the hub for exploring our digitized and digital collections. Our mission is to preserve and highlight the intellectual and creative achievements of the StFX community and the broader Antigonish region.
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- StFX-affiliated works, including open-access (aka free) journal articles, books, and more!
- Digitized or born-digital theses and dissertations completed at StFX.
- Materials about StFX.
- The library's digitized and digital collections.
Recent Submissions
Na gaisgich òga/The young heroes : a youth Gaelic mentorship program in Nova Scotia
(St. Francis Xavier University, 2025) MacDonald, Colin; Linkletter, Michael
This thesis examines Na Gaisgich Òga/The Young Heroes, a youth Gaelic mentorship program in Nova Scotia. Launched in 2013, the program integrates five key elements important to successful language revitalization: community-based initiatives, immersion-based learning, mentorship, intergenerational learning, and cultural learning. Through a questionnaire of past participants, the study assesses the program’s impact on language acquisition, cultural engagement, and community involvement. Findings highlight the importance of mentorship and community connections in language retention, while also identifying areas for improvement, such as expanding post-program engagement and providing continued support for learners. By exploring other international revitalization initiatives and examining contrasts and comparisons to Na Gaisgich Òga, the thesis offers valuable insights into the program’s strengths and areas for future development. Recommendations include strengthening mentorship relationships, increasing immersion opportunities, and fostering a stronger sense of community. This research contributes to ensuring the long-term sustainability of Gaelic in Nova Scotia.
Examining how chronic inflammation impacts colorectal cancer incidence in Atlantic Canada
(St. Francis Xavier University, 2025-04-04) Cook, Avery; Lee, Derrick
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in Canada. Incidence of
CRC in Canada is highest in the Atlantic provinces. This may be, in part, due to increased
exposure to risk factors and common genetic susceptibilities in the region. Atlantic Canada is
more ethnically homogenous than other parts of Canada, which may allow certain genetic
mutations to be more prevalent. Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for cancer. Therefore,
genetic variations in inflammatory pathways may be contributing to regional differences in CRC
risk, due to their role in tumour development.
Objectives: This study aims to examine the associations between single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) of inflammatory genes and CRC.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted using data from 2,500 participants from the
Atlantic PATH and BC Generations Project cohorts of CanPath. Multivariable logistic regression
was used to assess CRC risk among nearly 1,200 SNPs, while the Benjamini-Hochberg
procedure was applied to correct for multiple testing.
Results: 87 SNPs were found to be significantly associated with CRC and, after adjusting for the
false discovery rate, 4 remained significant. Three of the four significant SNPs also had allele
distributions that differed significantly by region.
Discussion: These findings suggest that SNPs may contribute to the elevated CRC incidence in
Atlantic Canada. Additionally, regional differences in allele distribution support the role of
genetic factors in shaping disease risk. Understanding these associations could help identify
populations with increased CRC risk and inform targeted prevention efforts in Atlantic Canada.
Waves of waters, wildfires and COVID-19: a critical analysis of federal-territorial disaster response in Canada’s north
(St. Francis Xavier University, 2025) Jakubec, Rory; Kikkert, Peter
In the context of disaster and emergency management in Canada, a “Request for Federal Assistance is initiated when an emergency event overwhelms or threatens to overwhelm the resources of a province or territory and federal government help is needed to effectively support the impacted region” (Public Safety Canada, 2021). With the number of hazards to which the territorial North is exposed increasing in frequency and severity, and the limited emergency management capabilities and resources possessed by the territorial governments, there is a strong possibility that the territory will continue to require extensive federal assistance for disaster response.
Between 2020 and 2023, in response to the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and severe flooding (2021), tainted water (2021) and wildfires (2023), the territorial governments made a number of requests for federal assistance, leading to the first Operation LENTUS operations ever conducted in the North. For this federal assistance to be effective, practitioners must know what is and is not working, building on best practices, and identifying areas for improvement. This thesis identifies the key ingredients for a successful disaster response in the North, examines how the military and other federal organizations fit into such a response and analyzes cases from 2021 to 2023 to determine the extent to which the ingredients for a successful response were or were not present.
Illegality, exploitability, and precarity : repressive migration policies, carceral borders and their impact on migrant lives
(St. Francis Xavier University, 2025-05-07) Fraser, Hannah; Chattopadhyay, Sutapa; Forestall , Nancy
Borders in the Global North are becoming increasingly militarized, monetized, and deadly, disproportionately prohibiting the freedom of movement of migrants travelling from the Global South. The deployment of neoliberal migration policy, which prioritizes market benefits and economic contribution, enforces the temporality of migrants in the host country and the exploitability of migrant labour for economic gain. Movement from state to state is readily accessible for some, and criminalized for others, showcasing how priority is placed on white, wealthy, and Global North travellers while criminalizing, exploiting, and endangering racialized migrants and migrants from the Global South or from places that are severally impacted by global economic restructuring, Structural Adjustment loans, global trading policies, political crises and environmental destruction. Closed-border practices and policies garner public support through fear-mongering and anti-migrant rhetoric found prevalent in media from the Global North (Butcher, Neidhardt, 2022). Normalized xenophobic rhetoric, such as the use of terms like ‘aliens’ or ‘illegals’ fosters a tolerance for migration policies that endanger migrant lives (Robinson, Su, 2023). Popular discourse that labels migrants as security threats provide nations with the power to manage migrants and militarize borders, playing into the hands of security corporations who profit off of the proliferation of closed border practices. Huysmans (2006:50) states that securitization institutes political solidarity for border protection. In the field of EU politics, there is a latent political will to constitute European unity that ties the EU perception of 9/11 as a terrorist attack and migrants associated to terrorism with a need to harden borders. The EU and Frontex (EU border and coastal guard agency) are problematic as far as securitization and militarization operations are concerned because they legitimize violent and dehumanizing policies that are otherwise contentious. Current migrant contract worker programs such as Temporary Foreign Worker program and Live-in Caregiver program in Canada disproportionately impact racialized migrants and contribute to cheapening their labor. Short term contract works, chances of being illegal if the workers stay back after the contract expires, exploitation at work, coupled with securitization and militarization of borders and repressive immigration policies, manifest and maintain the state of illegality that shapes certain migrants’ everyday life. Moreover, migrants, regardless of citizenship status, are made especially vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and in many cases death due to policies that prioritize border control over humanitarian concerns. In this context, migration policy regimes shaped by neoliberal market-driven policies refer to an overarching system of laws, regulations, and institutional practices that govern and manage current-day migrants while prioritizing economic efficiency. Following these practices and policies around migrants and immigration, my Honors thesis objectives are to analyze: 1) how the border industrial complex links to the migration industrial complex through looking into the privatization of prisons, immigrant enforcement and labour market regulations 2) Can border and immigration policies force periods of waiting for jobs, stable living conditions, access to healthcare and food, and conditions of illegalized movement through the change and temporality of permits, visas, or immigration status, thereby endangering migrant lives in myriad ways. 3) Do strict border controls and repressive immigrant policies contribute to the precarity and vulnerability of migrant women to Gender Based Violence (GBV).
A’ tarraing Gàidheil Ghlinne Garraidh bho thobair Mhic-Talla
(St. Francis Xavier University, 2021) MacPherson, Chelsey; Linkletter, Michael
This thesis investigates the Gaelic heritage of Glengarry County, Ontario, by analyzing contributions made by or about Gaels of Glengarry County in Mac-Talla (1892–1904), a historically and culturally significant all-Gaelic newspaper published in Sydney, Nova Scotia. While Glengarry County has long been recognized as a major Gaelic settlement in Canada, no study to date has systematically examined Gaelic narratives concerning the Gaels of Glengarry in Mac-Talla. This research uses a textual analysis to explore the themes and values present in news items, including letters, song-poems, and articles. It examines how these texts reflect the Gaels of Glengarry County’s perceptions of their community, language, and cultural identity. The findings reveal that the Gaels of Glengarry County placed particular emphasis on ancestry, agriculture, hospitality, and military experience. Moreover, evidence suggests that Mac-Talla played a key role in fostering Gaelic literacy and sustaining a sense of collective belonging amid language decline. By foregrounding these Gaelic narratives, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of Gaelic heritage in Glengarry County at the turn of the 20th century.