An Indigenous veteran, who now lives in the Corunna area, says in some ways there have been improvements when it comes to addressing racism and discrimination in the Canadian Armed Forces, but there's still work to be done.
Shawn Osborne, from Six Nations of the Grand River territory, has spent 33 years of his life in uniform. He has been a member of the military, the RCMP, and local police services.
He applied to join the military when he was 18 years old.
While he was never in combat, he participated in vigorous training with a reserve unit.
Osborne said the noncommissioned officers (NCOs) chose him as a top candidate for intake at the end of battle school, but according to Osborne, the major's response of "no effing Indian is going to be a top candidate in my course" trumped the NCOs' recommendation.
"The NCOs venomously argued against that, however, outranked by the major, they then allowed me to accept the plaque (during a graduation ceremony)," Osborne said. "But immediately after, as soon as I returned to ranks, they took the plaque from me and gave it to a female soldier."
Osborne said the "challenging incident" was one example of why it was a good decision for him to leave the military and join the RCMP.
"I was interested in policing early in my career with the armed forces," he said.
Looking at past Indigenous soldiers who were part of the First and Second World Wars, Osborne said many were treated "like crap" when they returned home and were denied the same privileges and honours bestowed upon other veterans.
"Yet they still chose to go forward to protect not the Canadian government and not that red and white flag, they were there to protect Turtle Island and to protect the treaties," Osborne said.
Just last week, the Canadian Armed Forces delivered a formal apology in Ottawa for current and former members who experienced systemic racism, racial discrimination, and racial harassment.
Osborne said sharing experiences of those in the military are good learning opportunities for people to reflect upon and learn from moving forward. He was the guest speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Sarnia-Lambton's Golden K meeting held on Tuesday, November 4.
Meanwhile, Osborne's policing career with the RCMP in Chatham later led him to become a liaison officer for Walpole Island First Nation. He then joined the Sarnia Police Service in 1997 and took over as chief instructor of the service in 2004.
"The big thing for me... if my grandmother were seen wearing any of this or carrying an eagle feather, she would have been arrested. Now, here's her grandson, teaching police officers and building a school to train police officers," he said. "If you understand the tort history between police and First Nations, you understand the significance of what that meant for me."
Osborne received the Exemplary Service medal, a national honour signifying 30 years of service.
