It’s a pleasure to rise on behalf of the residents of Simcoe–Grey to speak to Bill 31, the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2023. I want to thank my colleague the MPP for Peterborough–Kawartha for bringing this important bill forward and allowing me the opportunity to speak today.

This is an extremely important award, Madam Speaker, because it is a tribute to an important First Nations elder, decorated veteran and family man, Murray Whetung. We heard earlier that he was discharged honourably in December of 1945 after coming back and serving in a very, very dangerous time, obviously, in Europe and being a part of the D-Day wrap-up. He was 24 at the time that he was discharged, and he died in February of 2021 in his 100th year. He had 76 years after his time overseas, and when he came home, he continued to be an important contributor to his community. He was an engine mechanic, a United Church minister and an elder and good friend to many in the Curve Lake First Nation. He had 12 children, over 50 grandchildren and I think they’ve lost count of his great-grandchildren. So Mr. Whetung is a man who cast a long and indelible shadow in his community, both in terms of serving his country overseas, but also in serving his community long after when he returned home.

We’ve heard others speak about the importance of his contribution as a veteran in a time when there was great discrimination against our First Nations soldiers. It’s interesting that he went into the army because First Nations were not allowed to go into the air force or the navy, and so he became, as all of his brothers, a member of the army and fought the ground battles that really changed the complexion of the war in the European campaign.

This recognition is of the critical role that our First Nations people played in defending our country willingly and not through conscription; they all volunteered to defend our way of life, a way of life that often was at odds with their own. And we’ve heard about the prejudices they faced overseas and the potential loss of their Indian status if they were away from their band for over four years, and then coming home and not being able to wear their medals, their uniforms, or, in fact, go to the Legion and even to vote. They defended our nation when they did not have the right to vote, and it was not until 1951 when they were given the right to vote and then subsequently allowed into our Legions.

So it really speaks to the character of Murray Whetung and his brothers that they would make this sacrifice, that they would risk their lives for a way of life that really didn’t accept them at that time. And that is another reason for the importance of this bill, is that it is, in part, an act of reconciliation. And reconciliation, as the report from Murray Sinclair’s committee suggests, is about truth and reconciliation, and before we can get to reconciliation, we have to confront the truths at the time so that we can move forward together so that we can be partners in making Canada a more accepting and better home for our First Nations peoples.

And it’s important also because it is a recognition of the cadets and Junior Rangers and the important programs that are offered through the air cadets. I know in my riding of Simcoe–Grey, in Collingwood, Branch Legion 63 has the cadet program there, Branch 1909, and I’ve been many times in my former life as a municipal politician to their annual reviews and banquets, and it’s wonderful to see these youth aged 12 to 18, young men and women, who are participating in the programs, getting exposure to healthy programs, community service. Many of them go to Base Borden, which is also in my riding, to attend the Blackdown Cadet Training Centre program in the summer which is a two-week camp, and I was at their review last summer—to see the proud faces of these kids and their parents as they completed the two-week program there.

So it’s very important to have this recognition to recognize their achievements and their commitment to serving their communities, but also so that they became aware of the life and legacy of Murray Whetung and the role of our Indigenous forces and veterans in both wars.

The Legions—and there are nine of them in my riding—and every year on Remembrance Day, as well as throughout the year are integral parts in their community and in supporting community events such as hockey banquets, sport banquets, parades and as well, during the pandemic, in my riding in Collingwood, the Legion served a vital role as the overflow hospital with 17 beds in the case of any wave of the pandemic that forced patients out of the hospital.

And these are just aspects of the important role that our Legions play in our communities. Not only do they provide supports for our veterans and our first responders—I as well am a member—they are important places to gather for our communities to celebrate our communities, to honour and recognize the roles that our veterans played in our lives and the incredible debt that we owe to each and every one of our veterans. In the words of Winston Churchill: “Never has so much been owed to so few by so many.”

And that continues today when we see the geopolitical instability in our world that we are not as far from war as we would like to be, and it is important to understand and appreciate the legacy of our veterans and to promote their values as we move forward to make our communities safer, more inclusive and more resilient.

So I want to give an acknowledgment out to all of the Legions in my riding for the great work that they do and to thank them and their boards for making such an impact in our communities.

It is a great honour today to be speaking in support of this legislation to recognize a very important man, Murray Whetung, but also to recognize what he represents as one of over 7,000 First Nations veterans and the contributions they made to our country during the war, despite the negative impacts it could have on them, on their return—and also to recognize and carry forward the legacy of Murray Whetung and his caring, giving, all-embracing attitude to make sure that our young cadets honour and appreciate that.