Organization lobbies for vets

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For the past four years, the National Metis Veterans Association has been fighting for the rights of their comrades. With chapters in every province, the organization has been working tirelessly on behalf of Metis veterans who say they were denied services and benefits that were available to other soldiers when they returned home from the war.

One of the main priorities of the organization has been collecting names of Metis veterans who fought in Korea and the Second World War. This is being done because the Canadian government did not begin registering soldiers as Metis prior to 1985. So far, the list has about 2,900 people across Canada.

"If we do have a national wall of honour, we will have these names...to present. So this was another ulterior motive as to why we were formed, because the Canadian government, when it comes to Aboriginals, they couldn't tell you who served and who didn't serve," said Harvey Horlock, president of the Ontario chapter.

The National Metis Veterans Association offers a variety of services to its members, which includes advocating for veterans or their widows to ensure they're receiving full Old Age Security benefits as well as a guaranteed income supplement for independent living.

Ed Borchert, the president and one of the founding members of the National Metis Veterans Association, said the organization has successfully lobbied for veterans in Alberta to receive benefits to which they did not know they were entitled.

"Another one was also, as part of the independent living, we got Veterans Affairs to agree to split and stack wood for veterans who were still using wood as a means of heating their homes. It's not a great big success, but it is a success that is useful to them," said Borchert.

In addition to its lobbying efforts, the organization produced a half-hour video that documented the experience of one Metis veteran named Charlie Fosseneuve during the Second World War. The video, entitled Charlie: Patriot Hunter, Metis Warrior, aired on the 60th anniversary of D-Day on Indigenous Circle, a program broadcast by CTV. Creating a series of videos on Metis veterans is another possibility the organization is considering. Borchert added that an outreach program is also in the works.

A new Web site has been launched to help make Metis veterans' services more accessible. On the site there are links to the Royal Canadian Legion, Veterans Affairs Canada, the Aboriginal Canada Portal and the Metis National Council.

Formed in Saskatoon in 2000 by 20 Metis former soldiers, the association is a strong voice on their behalf.

"It was sparked, really, after we had tried to get some support for our veterans through other organizations and the government. (The government was only) dealing with First Nations veterans at the time. And they informed us that they would only speak to Metis veterans as a collective group if they had formed a voice. So that voice was the formation of the National Metis Veterans (Association)," said Borchert.

"We've been lobbying the government through Veterans Affairs as well as the interlocutor. We've been working with the (Metis National Council) to put our voice forward. We've undertaken a national study to look at the numbers of veteran-that's an ongoing process."

Membership in the organization is free to all Metis veterans as well as their children and spouses.