Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
The Jasper Royal Canadian Legion hosted its inaugural National Indigenous Veterans Day ceremony at the Jasper Cenotaph on Nov. 8.
Legion vice-president Greg Key began the ceremony by reading a statement from Major-General Michel-Henri St-Louis, acting commander of the Canadian Army.
鈥淎s Defence Team Champion for Indigenous Peoples, I have the honour of voicing our collective gratitude on behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces as we join together to salute Indigenous veterans,鈥� St-Louis said.
鈥淚n the time since Canada first became a nation, thousands of Indigenous Peoples have served with bravery and distinction. We revere figures such as Francis Pegahmagabow, Mary Greyeyes Reid, and Thomas George 鈥楾ommy鈥� Prince. Through them, we commemorate the service of all Indigenous veterans. They heeded the call even when the country they served did not treat them as equals.鈥�
Indigenous soldiers who returned from World War I were deemed ineligible for tracts of farmland offered to other veterans on the grounds that they were already receiving government benefits not afforded to Canadians.
Following World War II and the Korean War, Indigenous soldiers were eligible for services and benefits, but many of the applications were not treated fairly, and the federal government would not recognize these inequities until the 1990s.
鈥淚ndigenous Veterans Day was inaugurated in 1994 in Winnipeg at a time when Indigenous Veterans were not being recognized as part of Remembrance Day ceremonies,鈥� St-Louis said.
鈥淭his is why Indigenous Veterans now have a national platform of their own for recognition of their contributions.鈥�
Indigenous Knowledge Keeper Matricia Bauer offered a prayer at the Jasper ceremony, and Sgt. Wayne Duval laid the wreath at the cenotaph.
National Indigenous Veterans Day is one of several remembrance activities for VetFest 2021, which runs for the first two weeks of November.
