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ACVA Committee Report – Indigenous Veterans: From Memories of Injustice to Lasting Recognition | ACVA Rapport du Comité – Les vétérans autochtones : des souvenirs d’injustice à une reconnaissance durable

 

 

(Le français suit)

Good afternoon, (from 8 February 2019)

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs tabled a report entitled: Indigenous Veterans: From Memories of Injustice to Lasting Recognition. View the full report.

The report contains 12 recommendations:

Recommendation 1

That Veterans Affairs Canada commit to continuing to hire Indigenous staff, with the intention of reaching a number that is at least proportional to the number of Indigenous veterans who are served by the Department.

Recommendation 2

That the Canadian Armed Forces delegate to each Canadian Ranger Patrol Group sufficient financial authority to ensure that the group can quickly reimburse Canadian Rangers for personal equipment that is broken while they are using it on duty.

Recommendation 3

That Veterans Affairs Canada produce a pamphlet outlining its main programs and services in the most common Indigenous languages, and that this pamphlet be distributed to all Canadian Ranger patrols.

Recommendation 4

That Veterans Affairs Canada incorporate in all its communications to the general public, and in all its program outreach efforts, a message or a question like “Have you worn the uniform?” or “Have you served?” so that veterans can easily identify themselves as veterans.

Recommendation 5

That Service Canada add services provided by Veterans Affairs Canada to the list of services it promotes when its representatives travel to meet with communities in remote areas.

Recommendation 6

That Veterans Affairs Canada work with the territorial governments so that territorial service officers working in Northern communities are able to offer local direct access to Veterans Affairs Canada programs.

Recommendation 7

That Veterans Affairs Canada and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pursue an agreement to ensure better coordination of programs and services available to Indigenous veterans and their families who served in the Canadian Armed Forces and now reside in the United States, and Indigenous veterans and their families who served in the United States’ Armed Forces and now reside in Canada, including access to the Military Family Resource Centres.

Recommendation 8

That Veterans Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada ensure that the funding parameters for services provided to Indigenous veterans living on reserve do not create a disadvantage for them in comparison to other veterans.

Recommendation 9

That Veterans Affairs Canada provide the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs with an explanation of the reasons that a settlement agreement was not reached to compensate Métis veterans of World War II and their families.

Recommendation 10

That Veterans Affairs Canada continue working with Métis and Métis organizations to ensure that Métis veterans and their families have access to all benefits and settlements to which they are entitled, and to ensure the access as soon as possible.

Recommendation 11

That Veterans Affairs Canada take steps to bring together representatives from associations representing Indigenous veterans so that it can share information about its programs and help create an environment where they can regularly communicate their various concerns.

Recommendation 12

That Veterans Affairs Canada review the eligibility criteria of its programs that provide funding for war memorials so that remote communities wanting to honour the memory of their veterans are better able to do so.

 

 

 

Aujourd’hui, le Comité permanent des anciens combattants de la Chambre des communes a déposé un rapport intitulé : Les vétérans autochtones : des souvenirs d’injustice à une reconnaissance durable. Consultez le rapport en entier.

Le rapport contient 12 recommandations :

Recommandation 1

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada s’engage à continuer d’embaucher du personnel autochtone, avec l’intention d’atteindre un nombre au moins proportionnel au nombre de vétérans autochtones qui sont clients du Ministère.

Recommandation 2

Que les Forces armées canadiennes délèguent à chacun des Groupes de patrouilles des Rangers canadiens une autorité financière suffisante pour leur permettre de rembourser rapidement les bris d’équipements personnels utilisés par les Rangers canadiens lorsqu’ils sont en service.

Recommandation 3

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada produise une brochure présentant ses principaux programmes et services dans les principales langues autochtones, et que cette brochure soit distribuée à toutes les patrouilles des Rangers canadiens.

Recommandation 4

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada incorpore dans toutes ses communications à large public, et dans tous ses efforts de sensibilisation (outreach) à ses programmes, un message ou une question, comme « Avez-vous déjà porté l’uniforme ? » ou « Avez-vous déjà servi ? » permettant aux vétérans de s’identifier aisément comme vétérans.

Recommandation 5

Que Service Canada ajoute les services offerts par Anciens Combattants Canada à la liste des services regroupés qu’elle fait connaître lorsque ses délégations se déplacent pour rencontrer les communautés en régions éloignées.

Recommandation 6

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada entreprenne des démarches auprès des gouvernements des territoires afin que les agents de services territoriaux travaillant au sein des communautés du Nord soient en mesure d’offrir localement un accès direct aux programmes d’Anciens Combattants Canada.

Recommandation 7

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada, le ministère de la Défense nationale et le département américain des Anciens combattants recherchent une entente permettant une meilleure coordination des programmes et services pouvant être offerts aux vétérans autochtones ayant servi dans les Forces armées canadiennes et vivant aux États-Unis, et les vétérans autochtones et leur famille ayant servi dans les Forces armées américaines et vivant au Canada, y compris l’accès aux Centres de ressources pour les familles des militaires.

Recommandation 8

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada et Services aux Autochtones Canada s’assurent que les paramètres de financement des services offerts aux vétérans autochtones vivant dans les réserves ne les désavantagent pas en comparaison des autres vétérans.

Recommandation 9

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada dépose au Comité permanent des anciens combattants de la Chambre des communes une explication des raisons empêchant la conclusion d’une entente concernant les revendications des vétérans métis de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale et de la guerre de Corée, ainsi que leurs familles.

Recommandation 10

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada continue de collaborer avec les Métis et les organisations métisses pour veiller à ce que les anciens combattants métis et leurs familles aient accès à tous les avantages et règlements auxquels ils ont droit, et ce, dès que possible.

Recommandation 11

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada entreprenne des démarches afin de réunir les représentants des associations représentant les vétérans autochtones afin de mieux faire connaître ses programmes et de créer des conditions propices au maintien de communications régulières reflétant la diversité de leurs préoccupations.

Recommandation 12

Qu’Anciens Combattants Canada revoie les critères d’admissibilité de ses programmes de soutien financier à l’érection de monuments commémoratifs afin de pouvoir mieux aider les communautés vivant en régions éloignées qui souhaitent honorer la mémoire de leurs vétérans.

 

GOLDEN LAKE – Powerful drum beats and singing were the heartbeat that led the dancers in their colourful regalia around the grounds at the 31st annual Algonquins of Pikwakanagan Traditional Powwow.
Indigenous people from across the region, Quebec and parts of the United States traveled to the reserve at Golden Lake this past weekend for the annual, late summer event which is both a celebration and a sacred rite.
In addition, hundreds and hundreds of visitors flooded the grounds, curious about this cultural gathering. Everyone was quickly swept up in the music of the various singers and drummers, the dancing, the swirling of the fancy shawls, the jingling of the metal cones on the jingle dresses, the smell of wood smoke and tobacco, the scent of cooking traditional foods and the overall atmosphere of a great and unique cultural experience.

To read the complete article, please click on the link below:

https://www.pembrokeobserver.com/news/local-news/aboriginal-veterans-recognized-at-31st-annual-algonquins-of-pikwakanagan-powwow

5 October 2017 – NDHQ Ottawa

Suicide is an issue we have been dealing with for a very long time. Like many of you, I’ve lost friends to suicide and it’s gut-wrenching every time it happens. Every life that is lost, every career cut short, is a blow to our military family.

This is a complex problem. There is no quick or easy solution. But there are ways we can make it easier for those who are suffering in silence to get the help they need. This is what we’re doing today with the Joint Suicide Prevention Strategy. We want to change the attitude around suicide and mental illness, and we’ll do this in several ways.
First, resilience will continue to be a priority. Like with any other injury, prevention is our best line of defence. This means training and preparing you throughout your career for stressful and traumatic situations, so you can bounce back more quickly if you are injured or wounded.

If you do have a problem, you will get the help you need. Our medical system exists to treat you for any injury or wound you sustain—whether mental or physical, on deployment or at home. I will not tolerate any form of stigma or judgment levied against someone who has the courage to ask for help. I expect all CAF leaders to foster a culture of respect and compassion that puts the well-being of our people and their families first.

Don’t let yourself, your friends, your family or your coworkers struggle alone. Just the act of reaching out could save a life.

Jonathan H. Vance
General
Chief of the Defence Staff

You’re Not Alone

Additional information available on he following link:

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/reports-publications/caf-vac-joint-suicide-prevention-strategy.html

First, I would like to thank the membership of our fine Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones for the honour and the privilege to represent our Veterans from across Canada on this most extraordinary pilgrimage in Dieppe France.

I was more than honoured to be in the company of 4 distinguished Dieppe Raid Veterans who were part of this horrific battle on the beaches of Dieppe during World War 2. Dieppe Veterans, David Hart, Maurice Leblanc, Stan Edwards and Metis Vet Paul Delorme. The reason I distinguish Mr. Delorme as being Metis is simply because in past years no one has made reference to anyone of our indigenous warriors who were involved in any of the conflicts of Canada’s past and only in recent years is that recognition beginning to surface. I certainly thank VAC for the inclusion of Indigenous ceremonies at this Commemoration.

Stan Edwards is 97. He landed on the beach with the Calgary tanks. 29 tanks, the new Churchill tanks were used on the raid. Stan and the other tanks could not reach their intended areas assigned due to a number of reasons. Stan says, “There was heavy German direct and indirect fire and this stopped the Engineers in their assigned mission which was to create gaps in the wire obstacles with Bangalore torpedoes. The intense fire with its accuracy was killing everything that moved on the beach. Some or most of our tanks were disabled due to tracks being dislocated from their treads. Some of our guys were killed when they went out to try and put the tracks back on. The rest of us stayed put and our commanders engaged targets as best we could to try and support those on the ground. In the end when we could not retreat from the beach we surrendered and I spent the next 3 years as a POW. While I was in the camp I got word that two of my brothers were killed, one at the Normandy landings near Caen and the other over in Italy. My biggest fear was I worried about my mom before I was liberated. She had lost 2 of her three sons and her husband had also died. When I got home like most of us I knew we had to work so I worked for a long time. I live in Calgary and I have a close friend who was in the same unit as me and was also a POW and we see each other a lot and sometimes we talk about the war. At least we came home.”

After this visit to Dieppe and my personal talks with these 4 Veterans as well as meeting with the daughter of L Col Merritt, South Saskatchewan Regiment Commanding Officer and Victoria Cross winner I was impressed by the humble attitudes, their ability over the years to cope with and to work a healthy life upon return home to Canada.
I also recall one of the history stories where a German Major was on the beach and a Canadian soldier was standing in front of three of his soldiers as they ordered this Canadian to put his hands up. He had no weapon and he stood looking at the Major and his men. The Major spoke and told the soldiers not to shoot as the soldier turned about and faced the beach. For a few moments, the Canadian saluted and held the salute for a time and then dropped his arm. He turned to face his captors with tears streaming down his face and surrendered himself.

Another story during the 70th Commemoration when a Canadian woman was in the Dieppe cemetery she saw an older man in his 70’s or 80’s who was crying at one end of the grounds. She went over and asked him if he was alright. Through his tears he said, ” I remember when these brave Canadians landed on the beaches, I was 10 and I stood on the hill as they were being massacred on the beaches by the Germans.” “I was helpless and could not help, but I knew then that we had not been forgotten, but I could do nothing to help, I’m sorry.”
All the stories certainly make you understand not only the cost of war to soldiers but as well the cost to humanity.

So, history has shown that Indigenous peoples from across Canada including First Nations, Metis and possibly Inuit have served this country well in times of war. Most government officials do not go back from before Confederation but rather only talk about the two World Wars, Korea, Peacekeeping and Afghanistan as the contributions made by our peoples. History has a different take on that with our peoples being the main reason why Canada is geographically the way it is because of the War of 1812. We have earned a prominent place in Canada’s history and it appears that with this year’s solemn inclusion of our culture we may very well be seeing that recognition coming. To witness our culture on display and to also be included in the main ceremonies to say the act of remembrance on Michif was more than an honour for me personally and to be with Veterans Percy Joe who at a second ceremony gave the act of remembrance in his First Nation language and also Veteran Brian Cyr from MNC will be a memory that will not dissipate anytime soon. I will have to say, in conclusion, that it appears that the present government is working hard in its efforts to have more inclusion of its indigenous community including veterans in all commemorative events. We need to make sure this does not lose its way regardless of who holds power in the wigwam on the hill.