Indigenous communities and organizations across the country are taking time to mark Indigenous Veterans Day on Friday.
Among those services will be one hosted by the Metis Nation-Saskatchewan, who will hold a private ceremony at Batoche to honour Metis veterans in the province.
The service will be at the site of the National Metis Veterans’ Memorial Monument on the Batoche grounds.
Ahead of that event, Metis veteran John Belanger spoke with MBC News about the importance of the day.
“You know, all they (veterans) ever ask is, on this special days of remembrance that we pay our respects to them and why they went into these environments,” Belanger told MBC News. “They didn’t have to, as a lot volunteered, and they still left to go.”
Belanger is a veteran from Ile a la Crosse. He spent 27 years in the army before retiring in recent years. He now spends his time working with the MN-S as a Dumont Scout.
Belanger spoke on the experience of attending remembrance services in his home community.
“It makes me so proud to see the young ones singing Oh Canada and carrying pictures of their grandpas and their grandparents, up to the cenotaph and placing the wreaths for them on behalf of the school. It it’s very touching and it’s very important that they don’t forget.”
The MN-S service will be live streamed on its website beginning this morning at 10 am.
The link to the live stream can be found here. https://metisnationsk.com/veterans/
(TOP PHOTO – The National Metis Veterans Memorial Monument located in Batoche. Photo courtesy metismuseum.ca.)