First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples’ history of service to Canada predates the Canadian military — and even Canada’s existence as a country. It begins with Crown-Indigenous relations pre-Confederacy European settlers in the war of 1812, and spans generations of sacrifice amid historical injustices that limited the personal rights and freedoms of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.¹ These include but are not limited to the Sixties Scoop, relocation of Inuit Peoples to the High Arctic and the residential school system.

However, although they continue to experience the long-term impacts of these and other injustices, Indigenous Peoples continue to serve as members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). As of 2019, at least 2,742 currently serving CAF members are First Nations, Inuit or Métis.²

This webpage recognizes and honours the contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Veterans and Veteran Families. To learn more about the Atlas Institute’s work with Indigenous Veterans and Families, jump to Working together to address your health information needs. 

Honouring and recognizing Indigenous Veterans and Veteran Families

• During the Second World War, First Nations Peoples in Canada — especially those from the Cree Nation — served as “code talkers,” developing codes based on First Nations languages to communicate with fellow soldiers, who would then translate them into English. This prevented intercepting enemy forces from understanding what was being communicated.³
• The exact number of First Nations Peoples who enlisted in each of Canada’s major military efforts is unknown, as is the number of Inuit and Métis Peoples who enlisted. Available estimates underreport the true number of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples who have served. As of 2019, the estimates are as follows^4–6:
  • At least 4,000 First Nations Peoples (one-third of First Nations men aged 18 to 45) enlisted in the First World War.
  • At least 3,000 First Nations Peoples enlisted in the Second World War.
  • At least several hundred First Nations Peoples enlisted in the Korean War.

• As of 2023, at least 23% of Canadian Rangers self-identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis.⁷
• Many status Indianⁱ soldiers were forced to become enfranchisedⁱⁱ before they were able to sign up to fight in the Second World War.^8,9 As a consequence, when they returned home to their communities, they no longer had Indian status.
• Military records for the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean War, did not allow service members to be listed as Métis.¹⁰

ⁱ While “Indian” was historically employed, contemporary language recognizes the importance of cultural specificity and “Indigenous” is now widely adopted to encompass the diverse and distinct identities of these communities.

ⁱⁱ Enfranchisement is a legal process for terminating a person’s Indian status and conferring full Canadian citizenship. Enfranchisement was a key feature of the Canadian federal government’s assimilation policies regarding Aboriginal peoples. ¹¹

Testimonial video

The following video highlights the experiences of an Indigenous Veteran.

Accessibility features: Closed captioning is available for this video. To enable this feature, select CC in the bottom-right of the video player. 

Sharp Dopler

Working together to address your health information needs

The Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families wants to collaborate with Indigenous individuals, organizations and communities to create and share information that:

1. Supports Indigenous Veteran and Family health and well-being journeys; and
2. Raises awareness of Indigenous Peoples’ service in the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The project team currently includes a First Nations Veteran advisor (Tim O’Loan — Sahtu Dene First Nation, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Master Corporal [Retired]) and a Métis Veteran advisor (Shauna Mulligan — CAF Reserve, Corporal [Retired]).

Together, we aim to continuously engage Indigenous Veterans and Family members to listen and learn about:

• Ways we could work together
• Your contexts and experiences
• Information about mental health and well-being that would be useful to First Nations, Inuit and Métis Veterans and Families