War veterans remembered

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On a clear day with a gentle breeze blowing through the air more than 200 guests gathered at the new Fishing Lake Metis Settlement Memorial Park. They were there to commemorate the Metis men and women who served in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean war.

The Sept. 26 ceremony included the unveiling of a six-foot bronze statue.

Representatives from the Metis settlements of Elizabeth, Kikino, Buffalo Lake, Gift Lake, Paddle Prairie, East Prairie and Peavine attended. As did representatives from the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The service, sacrifice, courage and strength that Metis men and women showed during the wars was something that is often forgotten, said Garry Parentau, chairperson of Fishing Lake Metis Settlement.

"I think that this is an historic event in our community, because the Metis people have been known for years as the forgotten people, and unfortunately our veterans were forgotten twice. They were forgotten when they came home from the wars and when Veteran Affairs handed out lands. This idea [to erect a monument] was actually talked about for probably more than a decade, on and off, a number of times. Unfortunately, today we do not have any veterans in our community. They've all passed on, so this is a memorial to them.

"When we first started this, we decided to do something for one of our veterans in our community who was alive three years ago. We wanted to do something as a commemoration for him before he passed on, but unfortunately he passed on before we were able to honor him. His name was Gabe Cardinal. He passed away last year, and he was our last veteran from the community."

Parenteau said this celebration means something to him because his colleagues in the community have parents who are still living who are the spouses of veterans.

"This is a way so that our Metis war veterans are never forgotten. This is the whole concept behind it. We do not want them forgotten. Our community has to recognize what these veterans did because the grandchildren are getting older and they really do not know what their grandparents did and the sacrifices they made and they have to appreciate that. It is a memorial to the past veterans in recognizing the respect we need to give the men and women who fought in the wars. Because of what they did, we are now able to enjoy our freedom," he said.

Metis Nation of Alberta President Audrey Poitras said the veterans are "our heroes" for putting their lives on the line with no thought of their own personal safety or well-being.

"Instead, they served knowing that the sacrifices will ensure that Canada would remain a free country. As you unveil this monument your community has done something that the government of Canada has refused to do, which is to recognize the Metis war veterans. I want to especially recognize and commend the people of this community for the part they played in building the memorial. They can be proud of the acknowledgement," she said.

Gerald Cunningham, the vice-president of the Metis Settlements General Council, said that it was a great day for him.

"I was watching a tribute to Johnny Cash the other day and one of the things he believed in was to gain recognition for an Aboriginal soldier whose name was Ira Hayes. Back then when they did their memorials to the men and women of the United States who fought in the wars they forgot Ira Hayes. This is what this monument reminds me of. We are now starting to recognize our own and it is good that we are able to do that."