SASKATOON — The City of Saskatoon recognized the historic and present-day contributions of Indigenous people to military service with the Canadian Armed Forces by declaring Monday as National Indigenous Veterans Day.
It has been estimated that as many as 12,000 First Nation, Métis and Inuit people served in the great conflicts of the 20th century and at least 500 lost their lives.
Indigenous people have had to overcome many challenges to serve in uniform — from learning a new language and adapting to cultural differences, to travelling great distances from their remote communities just to enlist.
Indigenous men and women have continued to serve in uniform in the post-war years as well — fulfilling North Atlantic Treaty Organization duties in Europe during the Cold War and serving with the United Nations and other multinational peace support operations around the world. In more recent years, many Indigenous CAF members saw hazardous duty in Afghanistan.
Closer to home, Indigenous military personnel have filled a wide variety of roles, including serving with the Canadian Rangers. This group of army reservists is active predominantly in the North, as well as on remote stretches of Canada's east and west coasts.
The Rangers use their intimate knowledge of the land there to help maintain a national military presence in these difficult-to-reach areas, monitoring the coastlines and assisting in local rescue operations.
Mayor Charlie Clark said Indigenous men and women continue to enlist despite the obstacles.
“Despite facing the harms from government policy that we continue to come to terms with, thousands of Indigenous men and women have signed up to serve shoulder to shoulder with their non-Indigenous neighbours. They have done this across the country and through the generations. We thank them for this service to our shared nation.”
City Indigenous Initiatives Director Melisa Cote added that Indigenous people has a long and proud tradition serving Canada’s military.
“Unfortunately, their contributions are often overlooked and underappreciated.
“I encourage people to take some time today to learn about the stories and contributions of Indigenous veterans and those individuals currently serving. They have demonstrated — and continue to demonstrate — bravery, courage, and leadership.”
