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VANCOUVER, B.C. (May 07, 2001) - In October 2000, a working group was created in order to address issues raised by First Nations veterans about the way they and their dependants were treated during and after the Second World War and the Korean War. The National Round Table has produced a report of findings based on the establishment credits that were to be made available to returning First Nations veterans. A list of names of First Nations veterans as well as oral testimonies of First Nations veterans will accompany the report. It also includes recommendations to the federal government that will be made public during a news conference.

The members of the National Roundtable committee consisted of: Grand Chief Howard Anderson, Chair of the National Roundtable, Tony Cote, National Roundtable committee member, Larry Whiteduck (Assembly of First Nations), National Veterans Coordinator, Roberta Soo-Oyewaste (Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations), and federal officials from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND), Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and the Department of National Defence (DND). This is the first time that there has been commitment from three federal Ministers to deal with the injustices committed to our First Nations veterans, a commitment that has been long overdue. The report of findings is a consensus document between all parties involved.

Many of our First Nations citizens enlisted in the Canadian Armed forces and participated in various conflicts to fight racism and discrimination. When they returned from overseas they were quickly struck by the irony of the situation. They had fought alongside non-First Nations soldiers and were treated as equals in the heat of battle but when they landed on the shores of Canada, they were quickly relegated to second-class citizenship. The Canadian government was not willing to treat First Nations Soldiers as equals and give them the full recognition they so richly deserved. World War I and World War II First Nation veterans, for example, found that they did not receive similar benefits as Non First Nations veterans, even though they were legally entitled to much more valuable off-reserve farm loans, grants and educational funds and fee simple title to land.

“Our veterans are happy that the final report has been completed. It is unfortunate that we have lost many First Nation veterans during this process. We are hopeful that the next phase will result in a richly deserved recognition and compensation package that includes our World War I veterans,” stated Grand Chief Howard Anderson.

“Our veterans have waited longer than any other group of veterans to receive justice from the federal government. I can only hope that the government will act quickly to resolve this injustice. Our veterans are only asking for fair and equitable treatment. They do not deserve to be treated like second-class citizens any longer”, stated National Chief Matthew Coon Come.

The Report of findings entitled: “A Search for Equity: A Study of the Treatment Accorded to First Nations Veterans and Dependants of the Second World War and the Korean Conflict” has now been ratified by its committee members. It will be released during a news conference on Monday, May 7, 2001 at 10 a.m. at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel, Parksville Room. It will be also presented to Minister Nault (DIAND), Minister Duhamel (VAC) and Minister Eggleton (DND).

“Finally, after three years we are getting close to completing this process. This report is critical as it provides evidence that legitimizes our veterans claims that they were not treated with the same respect as other veterans or that our people did not receive the same compensation for serving their country. Now that the report is complete there is a sense of urgency to achieve a final compensation and recognition package for our First Nation veterans as many of them are passing away at an alarming rate”, stated AFN Vice-Chief Perry Bellegarde.