Video by Carlos Rayman
Multimedia by Sydney Dibrina
Multimedia by Bianca Thompson
By Megan Camlasaran
The best way to honour BIPOC Canadians in the military is to ensure efforts are put forth in specifically acknowledging their contributions during Remembrance Day.
They sometimes become overshadowed in the White homogeneity of Remembrance Day commemorations, according to Andy Berber, a Korean War naval veteran from 1953-54.
2.6 per cent of Indigenous people, and 6.7 per cent of visible minorities served in the forces in 2016, according to a report from the Canadian Standing Committee on National Defence.
Timeline: Looking back at BIPOC representation in the military throughout history. Story continues below interactive.
Former Lt.-Col. Kenrick Sproul of The Irish Regiment of Canada Second Battalion, who retired from his duties in 2016, said he was often the only Black man in a room. However, he didn’t feel like his contributions meant any less than those of his White comrades.
“I think the young people should understand what our generation went through to give them their rights today. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Chinese, Japanese, Irish, they all went through discrimination here in Canada in those days,” said Peggy Lee a Second World War veteran.
Striving towards a more inclusive Remembrance Day
Timeline: Remembering BIPOC contributions in Canadian history. Story continues below interactive.
For many years, White veterans were the only ones highlighted in mass media during Remembrance Day, according to Berber.
“Growing up as a Black youth in Canada, Remembrance Day was always a white-washed experience. It didn’t relate to me, at the time it was a bunch of black and white videos with a bunch of White guys running across the screen. It was in joining the military however that I realized the contributions of Canadian soldiers. The quality of life that I experience in Canada is due to the sacrifice, sometimes the ultimate sacrifice, that was made by others whether they be Black or White,” said Sproul.
“Remembering is not a single event… it is an ongoing commitment,” said Scott Shiffield, a professor and expert on Indigenous peoples in the war at the University of Fraser Valley.
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