HUNTER: Let’s not forget — the face of veterans is changing

What I didn’t learn a lot about was the role of other cultural communities in Canada’s war efforts. I don’t recall ever hearing about the role of Indigenous people, Black people or Japanese and Chinese Canadians. I don’t remember hearing a lot about women or other minorities either and I feel this omission is a great disservice to all veterans.

I didn’t serve, but I know people who have, and their experiences are largely shaped by where they serve and who they serve with. Excluding the diversity in these experiences, in my mind, is a failure to pay proper tribute.

In general coverage of Veterans’ Week, we also miss the mark in talking about the next generations of veterans — those who served in other conflicts like the Gulf War, Korean War and Afghanistan. It’s also important to note more than 125,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members have served in international peacekeeping missions to dozens of countries over the past seven decades.

Not only does the CAF serve in these roles, it also helps the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other law enforcement partners monitor Canada’s borders, helps in search and rescue operations and in natural disaster responses — as we saw in Abbotsford last fall.

The military supported Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic by deploying to long-term care facilities in Quebec and Ontario, supporting northern and remote communities, and helping the Public Health Agency of Canada with contact tracing and the management and distribution of personal protective equipment.

All this to say, the role is diverse, and we have many veterans under 65.

According to Veterans Affairs Canada, there are more than 600,000 veterans in Canada over the age of 17.

A July 2021 article in the Toronto Star summarizing 2021 census data noted members of the CAF were younger on average — 36.2 years old — than the employed labour force overall at 41.9 years.

As an aside, this collection of census data was the first time Statistics Canada asked Canadians about previous service in the Canadian Armed Forces for the first time since 1971.

Currently serving CAF personnel were younger on average than the employed population overall and almost one in five were women. While more than four in 10 veterans were seniors aged 65 and older, almost one-third were in the core working age group of 25 to 54.

I had an idea there was a high number of younger service members, but found myself surprised. The next round of data released will have more demographic information to provide a fuller understanding of how the face of veterans is changing. This will be key in determining what types of supports and services are required.

This week, I encourage you to reflect and recognize all generations of service, whatever the service may look like. It takes courage and sacrifice to commit to service, and all who serve, or who have served, deserve our gratitude.

In Kamloops, Indigenous Veterans’ Day will be recognized November 8 at the Tk̓emlúps Cemetery (Pen Pen). Remembrance Day will also be honoured starting at 10:30 at the Tk̓emlúps Cemetery and at the cenotaph in Riverside Park.

In the meantime, you can take time to reflect and to support the Royal Canadian Legion’s national poppy campaign which raises much-needed funds to support veterans and their families.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Sadie Hunter

HUNTER: Let’s not forget — the face of veterans is changing

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