Mi'kmaq activist says Proud Boys show more education needed in military

The organizer of an Indigenous protest that was interrupted by off-duty members of the military on Canada Day says it's time the Canadian Armed Forces incorporated Mi'kmaq history into its operations andtraining.

Five members of the Canadian Armed Forcesarenow suspended with pay pending an investigation into their conduct.

They disrupted a ceremony where Chief Grizzly Mamma, an Indigenous woman from B.C.,was shaving her headas a sign of mourning.

The protest was held near a statue ofEdwardCornwallis, acontroversial British military officercredited with founding Halifax the same year heoffered cash to anyone who killed aMi'kmaqperson.

Dispute overMi'kmaqlands

The five men identified themselves as beingProud Boys, a fraternal organizationthat describes its members as"Western chauvinists."

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Rebecca Moore, who organized the July 1 event,said people were praying to their ancestorsfor lives lostsince the beginning of colonization when they were interrupted.

Acknowledgement of territory

Now she'dlike to see an ongoing public acknowledgement from the military on the East Coastthat they're onuncededMi'kmaqlands.

"So it'snot disputable, it's a fact, and their employees are aware of that," she said Wednesday. "That's our history and that education piece is a key factor in avoid confrontations [such as] what happened on Canada Day."

Other institutions in Nova Scotia have takensteps toacknowledgethey're onMi'kmaqterritory.

No one from the Canadian Armed Forces was immediately available to comment on Moore's call for official recognition and more education.

Ceremony overshadowed

Halifax's poet laureate, Rebecca Thomas, whowas also at the ceremony, said it is unfortunate the Proud Boys' arrival overshadowed the purpose of the event.

She hopes people who've been followingwhat happened "don'tfeel sorry orpity us. I want people to understand and empathize with what we're doing."

Indigenous groups have had to work hard to assert their rights and retain their language and ceremonies, Thomassaid.

"It would be nice that people understood how much Indigenous people are still fighting for sovereignty and to be understood and to be empathized with. We are not postcolonial. Canada has a lot of work when it comes to reconciliation and reparations with Indigenous people, Armed Forces included."

'Pretty prevalent' comments

While it was unusual to have a group physically interrupt an event, Moore, a member of Pictou Landing First Nation, said the mentality she encountered wasn't new.

She said similar comments are "pretty prevalent" in conversations at social events or among friends.

"People who think like that on a day-to-day basis, and more one-on-one confrontations that's not unusual at all," she said. "It's kind of discouraging that we have to be asserting ourselves and re-assert ourselves when these are facts. That's history."

Tuning outracist comments in person and online has become routine, she said. But it still takes "an emotional and mental toll."

'Duty' to educate people

Despite this, Moore said she tries to take the time to educate people on Indigenous history and culture.

"That is, in a sense, my duty, for when I have kids that maybe they don't have to fight as hard to be themselves."

Peoplewho identify as Inuit, Mtis or Indigenous make up 2.5 per cent of the regular force and primary reserve force.

DanielLe Bouthillier, a spokesperson for the Canadian Forces,said Indigenous Canadians are "core members of the defence team and deserve to be celebrated as such."

"The defence team works hard to foster a diverse, inclusive organization and will continue these efforts to ensure a respectful, dignified environment for all Canadians," he saidin a statement.

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