Indigenous Veterans Day, taking place Nov. 8, honours the service and sacrifices Indigenous veterans have made to Canada and recognizes the challenges and unequal treatment many have experienced during and after service.

“A lot of First Nations veterans, when they returned from World War I and World War II, they weren’t treated the same as their comrades that they served overseas with,” Justin Woodcock, a First Nation veteran from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, told Global News.

Woodcock says many First Nations veterans weren’t eligible for benefits such as the Soldier Settlement Act and the Veteran Land Act.

“We know that a lot of First Nations veterans also had to give up their status in order to enlist,” Woodcock said.

“So when you combine those factors, those returning First Nations veter

See Full Page