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FORTUNE, N.L. — If all goes well, Canadians will soon be able to drive to a little-known corner of France.

The French islands of St-Pierre-Miquelon just off the south coast of Newfoundland — North America’s last vestige of colonial New France — have long attracted adventurous travellers seeking an unusual European experience.

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But the ferry that links Fortune, N.L., with the windswept archipelago 40 kilometres away only carries walk-on passengers in the spring and summer months.

Later this year, however, the tiny French territory plans to start using two new ferries that can carry up to 15 cars, 200 passengers and three tractor-trailers year-round.

“It’s like a piece of France right next door,” Fortune Mayor Charles Penwell said Tuesday.

“The language is different from what we’re used to in Newfoundland, but it’s very similar … to the (language spoken in) the Basque region of France … It offers traditional French food, French atmosphere, and the music and song of France. It’s unique. This archipelago is indeed a part of Europe that’s right next to our border.”