When the Canadian Armed Forces formally apologized for abuses suffered by Indigenous service members, Jack Park said they were shocked.
He was deeply moved when the First Nations Veterans Day Act, making November 8 the official day to honor First Nations veterans in Manitoba, received royal assent and became law.
“It was so well received,” Park said Friday as he prepared for the fourth annual First Nations Veterans Day ceremony honoring Red River Métis veterans on Saturday at Lac du Bonnet.
Daniel Crump/Free Press Files
The Indigenous Veterans Day Act recognizes November 8th as the official day to honor Indigenous veterans in Manitoba.
“As an Indigenous man in the service, I can tell you it was not okay to be me. They knew we were a different breed, I guess you could say, and they picked on it. The violence was real. It was absolutely real. When I left the military, I was treated like an ordinary Canadian citizen again. Getting out was a welcome relief.”
Park recalled the emotional distress he endured as drill instructors got in his face and used profanities and racial slurs.
“But we got through it because we believed in the Canadian forces, we believed in what we were doing in serving our country,” he said, adding there was no way out for fear of being sent to prison.
“It was a sad time, but thank God the apology has come now. I feel a lot better serving our country knowing they understand what we went through.”
Gen. Jenny Carignan, the head of the armed forces, formally apologized to the Canadian Armed Forces on Oct. 30 for its history of racist discrimination and vowed to improve the situation for racialized service members.
“We all know that an apology that is not accompanied by a tangible effort to correct our failures and mistakes … will be empty and have no real meaning,” she said.
“I reaffirm our commitment to remain vigilant in removing systemic barriers that may prevent an individual from participating in military service.”
Park served from 1976 to 1981 and worked as a private contractor in Bosnia in the early 2000s. His father served from 1943 to 1976 and fought in World War II and the Korean War.
“He went through the same thing,” Park said. “It wasn’t a good thing for the indigenous people.”
Manitoba was the first province to recognize Indigenous Veterans Day in 1994, and decades of ongoing advocacy led to its official recognition 31 years later.
“This can’t be taken away from us,” said Sean Nolt, head of veterans for the Manitoba Métis Federation and a veteran himself.
Indigenous veterans, Nolt noted, were renowned for their tracking and marksmanship skills, as well as their discipline to move silently behind enemy lines—skills rooted in traditional teachings that emphasized that “bullets cost money, so every shot counts.”
“Having our own day just gives us recognition just to personally honor our Red River Métis as well as our First Nations veterans. We still participate in the national ceremony, but we can recognize our own at these special events.”
Nolt said the annual ceremony includes the laying of wreaths, Last Mail, CryAnd Roseas well as appearances from veterans and special guests. The Royal Canadian Air Force will conduct the flyover.
This year's ceremony will take place at Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 164 in Lac du Bonnet. Nolt noted that the location changes every year, but part of his mandate is to work with the legions so they can keep their doors open.
Scott Billeck – general assignment reporter Free press. A graduate of Red River College's Creative Communications Department, Scott has over a decade of experience covering hockey, soccer and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. More about Scott.
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