Premier Declares British Home Child Day

Premier Darrell Dexter proclaimed today, Sept. 28, British Home Child Day in Nova Scotia, honouring the tens of thousands of orphaned, impoverished and abandoned British children who journeyed alone in the late 19th century to start a new life here in Canada.

"There is a long legacy of British home children who came to Nova Scotia in the late 1800s and early 1900s," said Premier Dexter. "While many of these children were welcomed into homes and families across the province, others lived through great hardship, ostracization and uncertainty.

"Some of these people are still living in our province today. I believe those people, and the families of those no longer with us, deserve to be recognized for their strength, courage and perseverance in the face of such adversity."

In 2009, Nova Scotia marked the 140th anniversary of the British Home Child movement with reunions and events across the province.