By Curtis Galbraith

Veterans

Indigenous Veterans Day Saturday

Nov 7, 2025 | 12:45 PM

There will be a ceremony in Grande Prairie Saturday, November 8, to mark Indigenous Veterans Day.

The Veterans Memorial Park will host a ceremony that will start at 10 a.m.

Indigenous Veterans Day is observed every November 8 as a way to salute the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people who served Canada in the military.

Veterans Affairs Canada says more than 4,000 Indigenous people served in World War I, while another 3,000 First Nations people, plus an unknown number of Metis, Inuit and other Indigenous people, served in World War II.

Even with their service, they faced discrimination and exclusion when they returned home.

Veterans Affairs says that because a lot of them came from communities where hunting was a way of life, they made good sharpshooters as reconnaissance scouts.

They also served as code talkers in World War II, where messages were communicated in Cree and translated into English so as not to tip off the enemy.

More on this can be found on the Veterans Affairs Canada website.