Eva Qamaniq Aariak, commissioner of Nunavut, lays a wreath Friday at the cenotaph in Iqaluit to mark Indigenous Veterans Day. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Wreaths laid in Iqaluit to honour Indigenous veterans
Moment of silence observed at cenotaph
Members of the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group were among those who gathered at the Iqaluit cenotaph Friday morning in honour of Indigenous Veterans Day.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Maj. Pauline Melanson, the first Inuk to achieve her rank, accompanied Nunavut Commissioner Eva Qamaniq Aariak to the cenotaph to lay a wreath. Premier P.J. Akeeagok also laid a wreath.
John Graham, president of the Iqaluit Legion branch 168, and Thomas Langmann, sergeant at arms with the legion, each addressed the audience of several dozen attendees, who formed a tight crescent around the cenotaph.
Thomas Langmann, sergeant at arms for the Royal Canadian Legion branch 168 in Iqaluit, speaks at the ceremony marking Indigenous Veterans Day at the cenotaph in Iqaluit Friday. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Also in attendance were Nunavut cabinet ministers David Joanasie, David Akeeagok and Daniel Qavvik, and Nova Scotia Sen. Paul Prosper.
“Indigenous Peoples are etched into Canada’s military history,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a public statement released earlier Friday.
“And today, with more than 2,700 Indigenous members serving in the Armed Forces, their contributions have been both numerous and invaluable.”
An estimated 12,000 Inuit, First Nations and Métis served in the major conflicts of the 20th century. At least 500 died.
Indigenous Veterans Day was first observed in Winnipeg in 1993, before becoming officially recognized across the country.
Friday’s service marked the second year the date has been recognized with a ceremony in Iqaluit.
On Monday in Iqaluit, a Remembrance Day service is planned for 11 a.m. at the cadet hall. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.
I don’t get why they have to have their own day. Veterans are veterans, and they come from all races, ethnicities and cultures. Inuit veterans are 100% veterans, and as are all the other veterans who stand side by side as equals.
Agreed. My dad, a veteran, would have agreed with you also.
Because for a very long time they weren’t treated as equals when they came home. Francis Pegahmagabow was a highly decorated soldier, a heroic figure in combat, and when he came home his pension was controlled by an Indian agent. My relatives who fought in World War One didn’t have that happen to them. It’s easy forget what they had to go through, fighting for a country that largely disrespected them, when someone utters facile lines like “all veterans are equal”, and it’s not something that should be forgotten.