US Too Advocacy

When the bugle plays The Last Post and a solemn silence falls over assembled crowds, the purpose is universal: to honour those who laid down their lives for peace, freedom, and justice. Yet every year, two distinct dates mark Canada’s calendar of remembrance: National Indigenous Veterans Day on November 8 and Remembrance Day on November 11.

For many, this raises a fair and meaningful question: if First Nations, Métis, and Inuit soldiers fought side by side with non-Indigenous soldiers in the same muddy trenches of Flanders, across the same battlefields of Normandy, and through the same harsh winters of Korea, why are there two distinct ceremonies? Why was one date not enough?

To answer this is to understand both the unity of shared sacrifice on the front lines and the painful inequality that followed when those soldiers returned home.

Equal in Sacrifice, Unequal in Return
On the front lines of the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, military service wasa great equalizer. Enemy fire made no distinction between a white soldier from a city suburb and a First Nations sniper from a remote northern reserve. Indigenous service members were renowned for their extraordinary marksmanship, tracking, and reconnaissance skills – talents that saved countless lives.

Over 12,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples answered the call to serve during the 20th century’s major conflicts. They stood shoulder to shoulder in combat, sharing the same rations, bearing the same fears, and shedding the same blood.

However, the equality forged in the mud of battle dissolved the moment these soldiers stepped off the troop ships back on Canadian soil.

The Injustice After the War
When non-Indigenous veterans returned, they were met with national support: government-funded land grants, low-interest housing loans, education grants, and full access to Royal Canadian Legion halls. Indigenous veterans returned to a starkly different reality. Under the Indian Act, Indigenous veterans were often systematically disenfranchised. Many First Nations soldiers returned home to discover that by serving their country overseas for more than four years, they had lost their official “Indian status” and treaty rights. Returning Indigenous veterans were routinely turned away from benefits programs administered by local Indian Agents. Land grants set aside for returning soldiers under the Veterans’ Land Act were often carved out of reserve lands, yet given to non-Indigenous settlers, while Indigenous veterans were turned down. For decades, Indigenous veterans were forbidden from laying wreaths as a distinct group at the National War Memorial on November 11. Furthermore, because local Legion halls frequently served alcohol, and law prohibited First Nations people under the Indian Act from entering licensed establishments, many Indigenous veterans were excluded from the very spaces where their white comrades gathered to remember.

The Origin of the Two Dates
Remembrance Day on November 11 marks the historical armistice signed on November 11, 1918—”at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”—which ended hostilities in the First World War. It was established to honour all military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the country. However, because the unique sacrifices and systematic mistreatment of Indigenous service members were overlooked during official November 11 commemorations for nearly half a century, Indigenous veterans and elders organized to establish their own day of recognition.

First inaugurated in Winnipeg in 1994, November 8 was chosen as National Indigenous Veterans Day. It provides a dedicated day to observe distinct cultural traditions, perform sacred ceremonies, listen to Indigenous drum groups, and observe eagle feather honours alongside military customs. November 8 also educates the non-Indigenous public on the unique historical barriers that Indigenous veterans faced before, during, and after their service, in addition to honouring First Nations, Métis, and Inuit contributions that were intentionally left out of official history books for generations.

Unity Without Erasure
Having two distinct dates does not diminish the unity of those who fought together—it restores truth to the history of that unity. November 8 (National Indigenous Veterans Day) focuses on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit service members, recognizing overlooked contributions, distinct cultural ceremonies, and post-war injustices.
November 11 (Remembrance Day) focuses on all Canadian and Commonwealth military personnel, serving as a universal national memory of military sacrifice and the pursuit of peace. True advocacy and remembrance require holding two truths at once: acknowledging that soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder in defence of freedom, while confronting the reality that Canada did not treat them equally when the battle ended.

Observing November 8 is not about dividing memory; it is about completing it. By honouring National Indigenous Veterans Day alongside Remembrance Day, we ensure that every story of bravery, sacrifice, and survival is remembered in full—without exception and without exclusion.

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Welcome! This is just a start as we put together the material to share with you the plight of many Natives within the Canadian justice system. Our goal is to expose the systemic bias, racism, and discrimination perpetrated against Natives by the Canadian government, the courts, provincial and federal Corrections departments, and various other agencies that run halfway houses or other community programs on behalf of these departments. You will likely be shocked and will hopefully be moved to help us make the changes Natives need.

Our goal is to not only expose, but to find appropriate resolution, restoration, and healing for those affected by these practices. We invite you to help us raise $5,000 in order to pay for the development and maintenance of our website, the renewal of our domain name (ustoo.ca), a computer, printer, stationery, and other necessities to run the daily operations of our group. Please go to our GoFund Me page. We appreciate anything you can do to assist us.

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