EDMONTON, Alta. — Honouring the service of Indigenous veterans in Canada unlocks a story steeped in irony and inequality, the legislature was reminded in the lead-up to Remembrance Day.
First Nations, Métis and Inuit military personnel stood up to oppression in two world wars for a country that continued to deny Indigenous people basic rights and freedoms at home, Brooks Arcand-Paul told his colleagues in advance of National Indigenous Veterans Day on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Pte. Mary Greyeyes from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps in 1942, becoming the first Indigenous woman in any branch of the country’s military.
The air force and navy werean’t options for Greyeyes. Although both did accept women, recruits had to be “White race” only, recounted Arcand-Paul, quoting recruitment documentation of the day.
Stationed in England, Greyeyes received international attention when she met King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. At the time, First Nations adults in Canada did not have the right to vote.
Photo op aside, “her family back home were not considered citizens of the very country she served,” said Arcand-Paul, the NDP’s shadow minister for Indigenous relations and the member for Edmonton-West Henday.
In the First World War, one of his great uncles, Pte. Henry Huppie, also “heeded the call” to fight overseas, Arcand-Paul said.
For MLA Nicole Goehring, meanwhile, Remembrance Day and the time leading up to it took on special poignancy because of the recent loss of life and severe injuries suffered at CFB Wainwright.
A fast-moving grass fire Oct. 17 killed four soldiers during a training exercise. It injured 39 others, many suffering severe burns and inhalation trauma.
“Time and time again I’m reminded of the strength, commitment and resilience of our veterans and active service members, and those that love them,” said Goehring, the NDP member representing Edmonton-Castle Downs.
“We remember those lost in combat and those lost in non-combat incidents. From the First World War to the recent tragedy in Wainwright, we acknowledge the sacrifice not only of those who served but their loved ones and their broader communities,” she continued.
“We honour the soldiers, the veterans and so many others who sacrifice so much to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today.”
The Wainwright dead are Sgt. Morgan Wong, 26, Pte. Shaun Farrell, 23, Pte. Aidan Goulding, 23, and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark, 19.
Nearly 120,000 Canadian and Newfoundlander soldiers have died in all forms of military service for the country.
More than 12,000 Indigenous Canadians enlisted during the two world wars and Korea alone, with thousands more serving in subsequent missions. Roughly 2,800 First Nations, Métis and Inuit personnel are in today’s Canadian Armed Forces.
