Today is Heritage Day in Nova Scotia. Each year, we recognize a person, event or place that has contributed to our heritage.
This year, Heritage Day honors Mi’kmaw activist Nora Bernard.
Nora was born on September 22, 1935, at Millbrook First Nation, one of seven children. When Nora was nine years old, her mother was forced to send Nora and her siblings to the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School.
Nora went on to marry and had 6 children. She was a mother, grandmother, aunt, wife, and Elder in her community.
Her family and community were very important to her. In 1987, she founded the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School Association and began to search for and contact other survivors. This was the start of her fight for justice, recognition and compensation for Survivors of the Canadian Indian Residential School system.
In 1995, she launched a class-action lawsuit against the Government of Canada. This was the catalyst that led to the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history and compensation for Survivors across the country.
Nora died in 2007 and sadly did not witness the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which continues today to raise awareness of the residential school system and its impacts. We remember her as a brave champion for her community and Indigenous people across Canada.
