SASKATOON — Saskatchewan First Nations Veterans Association Grand Chief David Raymond Gamble is pleased that Indigenous Peoples who served in the Canadian Armed Forces are now going to be treated equally as their efforts are finally recognized by the Royal Canadian Legion.
Gamble, along with Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Second Vice Chief Edward “Dutch” Lerat, led the signing of a memorandum of understanding between SFNVA and the RCL, represented by Dominion President Bruce Julian and National Executive Director Steven Clark on Saturday, Oct. 22, at the SaskTel Centre.
Gamble said the MOU will have all First Nations veterans getting the same benefits and services received by their brothers and sisters in arms, who were either injured or sacrificed their lives in various conflicts to keep peace and preserve freedom. Facilities for medical and mental health are some of the services that would be made available to SFNVA members.
“It will bring everyone together. It means inclusion for us and there will no longer be any separation. In the past, there have been exclusions with Indigenous veterans noticing it all too well,” said Gamble.
“When they came home from wars, they were sent back to their First Nations [reserves] and they can’t go to towns with their buddies. They couldn’t celebrate with their buddies and they were not given any land like their buddies. Non-Indigenous Peoples were given lands.”
He added that the MOU signing has broken the barriers that prevent Indigenous veterans from getting the services they needed to help them deal with their injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and problems that they encounter in their everyday lives.
To read the full story visit: https://www.sasktoday.ca/central/local-news/mou-to-break-barriers-stopping-indigenous-vets-from-getting-help-5993750 by Jon Perez