REMEMBERING AND HONOURING INDIGENOUS WAR HEROES: WORLD WAR 1 AND 2

There are many Indigenous warriors to be honoured throughout time however, Aboriginal Veterans Day and Remembrance Day are both days for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians to come together to remember the ultimate sacrifice Indigenous soldiers made to protect the freedom of this country.

Initially government policy didn’t allow Indigenous people to serve in the army overseas because they weren’t considered Canadian citizens and didn’t even have the right to vote. Eventually these policies were disregarded due to the high number of war casualties and demand for troops. Although First Nation soldiers in the First and Second World Wars made significant contributions, they still faced racism, discrimination, language barriers and were never awarded the same benefits that non-Indigenous soldiers received once they returned home.