Nora Bernard
Encyclopedia
Nora Bernard was a Canadian
Mi'kmaq activist who sought compensation for survivors of the Canadian residential school system
. She was directly responsible for what became the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history, representing an estimated 79,000 survivors; the Canadian government settled the lawsuit in 2005 for upwards of 5 billion dollars.
In 1945, when Bernard was 9 years old, her mother was told that if she did not sign the consent forms to send her children to a residential school, the child welfare
system would take her children into "protective custody"; as a result, Bernard attended a residential school in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
for five years. In 1955, she married a non-native man, and consequently lost her legal status under the Indian Act
; the relevant section of the Indian Act was repealed in 1985, but this did not automatically lead to reinstatement as a band member, and it was not until March of 2007 that she was voted back into the Millbrook First Nation
.
In 1995, Bernard began an organization to represent survivors of the Shubenacadie school; she subsequently convinced Halifax lawyer John McKiggan to represent the Shubenacadie survivors in a class-action suit. After the Shubenacadie suit became public knowledge, many other survivors' associations across Canada filed similar suits; these were eventually amalgamated into one national lawsuit. In McKiggan's words, "(...) if it wasn't for Nora's efforts, and other survivors like her across Canada, this national settlement never would have happened. (...) After we filed our lawsuit, a number of other students from other schools filed similar class actions." http://www.apmlawyers.com/news-54.htm
In 2005, she testified before the Canadian House of Commons
about the abuse children suffered in residential schools:
On December 27, 2007, Nora Bernard was found dead in her home in Truro, Nova Scotia
; although she was originally thought to have died of natural causes, on December 31, police arrested her grandson James Douglas Gloade and charged him with her murder. She had been stabbed to death. On January 23 2009, Gloade was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Mi'kmaq activist who sought compensation for survivors of the Canadian residential school system
Canadian residential school system
-History:Founded in the 19th century, the Canadian Indian residential school system was intended to assimilate the children of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada into European-Canadian society...
. She was directly responsible for what became the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history, representing an estimated 79,000 survivors; the Canadian government settled the lawsuit in 2005 for upwards of 5 billion dollars.
In 1945, when Bernard was 9 years old, her mother was told that if she did not sign the consent forms to send her children to a residential school, the child welfare
Child welfare
Child protection is used to describe a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability...
system would take her children into "protective custody"; as a result, Bernard attended a residential school in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
Shubenacadie is a community located in Hants County, in central Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2006, the population was 2,074.In the Micmac language, Shubenacadie means "abounding in ground nuts" or "place where the red potato Shubenacadie (['ʃuːbə'nækədiː]) is a community located in Hants County, in...
for five years. In 1955, she married a non-native man, and consequently lost her legal status under the Indian Act
Indian Act
The Indian Act , R.S., 1951, c. I-5, is a Canadian statute that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves...
; the relevant section of the Indian Act was repealed in 1985, but this did not automatically lead to reinstatement as a band member, and it was not until March of 2007 that she was voted back into the Millbrook First Nation
Millbrook First Nation
The Millbrook First Nation is a Mi'kmaq First Nation located in Nova Scotia.ReservesThe First Nation governs the following reserves:* Millbrook 27* Cole Harbour 30* Beaver Lake 17* Sheet Harbour 36* Truro 27A* Truro 27B* Truro 27CNotable residents...
.
In 1995, Bernard began an organization to represent survivors of the Shubenacadie school; she subsequently convinced Halifax lawyer John McKiggan to represent the Shubenacadie survivors in a class-action suit. After the Shubenacadie suit became public knowledge, many other survivors' associations across Canada filed similar suits; these were eventually amalgamated into one national lawsuit. In McKiggan's words, "(...) if it wasn't for Nora's efforts, and other survivors like her across Canada, this national settlement never would have happened. (...) After we filed our lawsuit, a number of other students from other schools filed similar class actions." http://www.apmlawyers.com/news-54.htm
In 2005, she testified before the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
about the abuse children suffered in residential schools:
On December 27, 2007, Nora Bernard was found dead in her home in Truro, Nova Scotia
Truro, Nova Scotia
-Education:Truro has one high school, Cobequid Educational Centre. Post-secondary options include a campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, as well as the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in the neighboring town of Bible Hill.- Sports :...
; although she was originally thought to have died of natural causes, on December 31, police arrested her grandson James Douglas Gloade and charged him with her murder. She had been stabbed to death. On January 23 2009, Gloade was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison.