Join us Monday, February 17th, 2025 for a special Heritage Day event honouring Mi’kmaw activist Nora Bernard of Millbrook First Nation.

A commemoration video will be presented by the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. Followed by light refreshments.

Celebrated the third Monday in February, Nova Scotia Heritage Day is an annual reminder of our storied past and an opportunity to honour the remarkable people, places and events that have contributed to this province’s unique heritage.

This year, we honour 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 six 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 and honour her as a brave champion for her community and Indigenous people across Canada.

https://heritageday.novascotia.ca/