On November 8th, the Toronto District School (TDSB) marks National Indigenous Veterans Day - a day to honour and remember the First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit Veterans who have served and sacrificed for Canada in times of war, conflict, and peace. We also acknowledge the significant discrimination they faced from the Canadian government when they returned home as they were denied the very rights and freedoms they were defending.
On October 30th of this year, the Canadian Armed Forces formally apologized for the historical and ongoing systemic racism and discrimination faced by First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit soldiers. “For way too long First Nations, Inuit, M茅tis, Black, Asian and other racialized members of the CAF faced systemic barriers that limited their ability to serve, contribute and thrive as equal members and too often mistreated and even abused at the hands of their fellow members” -
National Indigenous Veterans Day is an opportunity for all TDSB school communities to honour Indigenous Veterans’ service, acknowledge their sacrifices, and ensure their contributions are never forgotten. It also calls on us to learn from the histories and lived experiences of First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit Veterans whose stories have too often gone untold or unrecognized in Canada’s history. In doing so, we continue to honour their legacy by listening, learning, and fostering greater understanding of the past and present contributions of all First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit Veterans.
The UIEC has prepared a resource package to support educator and student engagement with National Indigenous Veterans Day, including the following suggested actions to honour First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit Veterans:
-
Create a morning announcement that acknowledges the contributions of Indigenous veterans and highlights the discrimination and enfranchisement that was experienced by First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit Veterans who served in Canada’s Armed Forces
To learn more, take a moment to read/listen to any of the following resources: