Statement from the Defence Team Co-Champions for Indigenous Peoples

Statement
May 20, 2024 Ottawa

Greetings, Bonjour, Shé:kon, Aaniin, Ainngai, Tawnshi, Kwe Aweti;

As Defence Team Champions for Indigenous Peoples, it is our honour to invite you to join us in marking Indigenous Awareness Week (IAW) 2024.

From May 21 to 24, we will collectively celebrate IAW with activities across the country. We are pleased to attend the ceremony that will take place on May 22 at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, hosted by our Royal Canadian Air Force colleagues at 8 Wing.

We strongly encourage you to take part in as many of these events as you can. Each of them is an opportunity to embrace this year’s IAW theme: Honouring our past while moving forward.

We are grateful to the community of Defence Indigenous Advisory Groups for giving us this theme. It reminds us that part of the ongoing work of reconciliation is to never forget our past, which can be a difficult subject.

At the same time, we are embracing a promising future, and the continuation of our journey together, informed by the knowledge and wisdom being passed forward by our Indigenous colleagues.

Never forget that the story of Indigenous peoples as valued partners in the defence of this land began more than 400 years ago, when they guided the first French explorers. Later, they made alliances with the British and made significant contributions in the War of 1812.

They stood up to serve in both World Wars despite not having all the rights and privileges of their non-Indigenous counterparts.

Many of the hundreds of Indigenous soldiers who served in the Second World War would do so again in Korea. The Canadian Contribution

The first Canadians to land there arrived on the HMCS Cayuga and HMCS Sioux, which were named in tribute to First Nations soldiers. Indigenous Veterans

That warrior spirit was present in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. In conflict, in peacekeeping…and their story is still being written today.

IAW is a time for each of us to commit to our own personal journeys of learning. We encourage you to seek out Indigenous voices all year long. You might start with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

The Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Métis National Council are also valuable sources of information both historical and contemporary.

Gaining a better understanding of Indigenous cultures is something each of us can contribute to the process of reconciliation and building a stronger Defence Team. We urge you to be a part of this journey.

Rob Chambers, Assistant Deputy Minister, Infrastructure and Environment, and civilian co-chair of the Defence Team Indigenous Advisory Committee.

Lieutenant-General Jocelyn Paul, Commander Canadian Army and Defence Team Champion for Indigenous Peoples.