Aboriginal Minorities In Canada

Canada’s military in the First World War is commonly discerned to have had significant minority contributions from 1914 to 1918. However, the minorities are not as commemorated as the European majority of Canada’s military at the time. In World War One, Canadian minorities that made notable and substantial additions to the military include the Aboriginal community of Canada, African Canadians, and French Canadians. The minority group that deserves the greatest recognition for their military contributions is often speculated, when greatest recognition refers to the group that is deserving of the highest level of appreciation for how their contributions in aiding Canada’s military in World War One. The Aboriginal community of Canada should receive

the greatest recognition for their military contributions in World War One, as their reasons for military involvement were the most patriotic, they had the highest level of minority involvement during the war, and their military accomplishments outweigh those of other Canadian minority groups.
Each Canadian minority group undoubtedly presented their own reasons for involvement in Canada’s military during World War One.

However, Canada’s Aboriginal minority had the most patriotic reasons for involvement that showed loyalty to Canada, in comparison to the African Canadians and French Canadians. Their patriotism represented Canada as a country, and Canada’s loyalty to Britain. Though many Aboriginals enlisted in Canada’s military services to escape reserve life, most enlisted to exploit their talents to assist Canada’s military in its fight during the war, such as how Private Rod Cameron enlisted to benefit Canada’s military with his scouting and sniping abilities. Also, many enlisted to prove their loyalty to Britain’s King during the war, as he descended from Queen Victoria, whom the Aboriginals signed treaties with in the past. The Aboriginals desired to honour their longstanding relationship with the British monarchy, demonstrating their loyalty. The Aboriginal motives for involvement including inclinations to use their abilities to benefit Canada’s military in its fight, and desires to honour loyalty to Britain illustrate their patriotic standpoint. However, the African Canadian minority’s reasons for military involvement are perceived as less patriotic, and more for their personal benefits, as their motives were predominantly to eliminate African Canadian minority issues. The minority was subject to racism and segregation in the era of the war, thus members of

the African Canadian minority involved themselves in Canada’s military to eliminate their “second class citizen” status, to earn better treatment from Canada’s white majority. This proves that African Canadian military involvement during World War One was in the best interests of the African Canadian minority specifically, not the Canada’s entirety as a country. Similarly, the French Canadian reasons for military involvement were less intended to represent Canada, and were less voluntary, as most French Canadian military involvement came from forceful circumstances, not willingness to involve one’s self out of loyalty to Canada. During the war, the main reason for French Canadian military involvement was conscription: forceful military service. There was little voluntary involvement, because French Canadians did not feel loyally connected to Britain, France, or Canada’s other allies. This illustrates their low patriotism and lack of connection to Canada, thus their involvement motives were minimally supportive of Canada’s military effort. Therefore, the Aboriginal community of Canada’s involvement was the most supportive of Canada’s war effort, and thus noticeably the most patriotic. However, African Canadian and French Canadian motives were less connected to Canada. The Aboriginals are deserving of the greatest recognition for their contributions to Canada’s military during World War One because their strongly Canadian reasons for involvement led to high military involvement levels.
The involvement levels of each minority group substantially differed, as they were a reflection of the contrasting involvement motives of each group.

Although the African Canadian and French Canadian minorities did have significant involvement, the Aboriginals had the greatest minority involvement in Canada’s military during World War One. This is due to their immense military enlistment and their roles while in the military. The Aboriginal community of Canada contributed a vast amount of 4000 voluntary enlistees for Canada’s military effort during the war, and by 1918, about 35 percent of all eligible Aboriginal men were enlisted in the Canadian Forces. Furthermore, not only did the Aboriginals fight as soldiers in Canada’s military during the war, but they also contributed in the military’s indirect efforts, like how Aboriginal women raised military funds while their male family members enlisted in the war. Aboriginal involvement levels were high, since so many Aboriginals were involved in a broad spectrum of military roles during the war. However, the involvement level of African Canadians was significantly lower, due to their low enlistment and limited roles. In Canada, only about 2600 eligible African men were part of Canada’s military which is miniscule in comparison to the 4000 Aboriginal men who enlisted. Also, the No. 2 Construction Battalion was the only all-African Canadian battalion in Canada’s military during the war, yet it only contained 600 African Canadian

men which is infinitesimal in comparison to Canada’s total contribution of over 600 000 enlistees, delineating the low contribution levels of African Canadians. As well, the No. 2 Construction Battalion only completed low status jobs, specifically construction tasks like trench digging. Since the battalion contained much of the African Canadians involved the military, their low involvement is illustrated, as construction only played a miniscule role in the vast spectrum of military tasks in World War One. Similarly, French Canadian involvement levels were minimal. Voluntary enlistment was low, and their roles composed only a small fraction of all military roles. In World War One, French Canadians only made up four percent of Canada’s military enlistees and only about 15 000 French Canadians were sent to fight overseas, meaning less than one in 20 soldiers were French Canadian. Moreover, the French Canadian dominant roles military was fighting as soldiers. Though there were more French Canadian enlistees than Aboriginal and African Canadians, a majority of French Canadian enlistees were conscripted, thus voluntary enlistment was low. Furthermore, the specific role as soldiers of most French Canadian enlistees illustrates low French Canadian contribution levels, as military involvement existed in far more than fighting roles. Overall, the Aboriginals had the highest amount of voluntary enlistment, and occupied the most military roles out of all the minority groups in Canada’s military during World War One. Thus, they are deserving of the greatest recognition for their contributions, because their level of involvement surpasses those of the African Canadian and French Canadian minorities.
Due to these involvement levels, each group had differing levels of accomplishments. All groups had notable accomplishments, yet the Aboriginals had the most prestigious achievements. The Aboriginal soldiers of the Anishnawbe Tribe in the 52nd Battalion were deemed as among the “very best soldiers” in Canada by Colonel Hay, the commanding officer of the battalion. As well, the Aboriginal military legacy, sniper Henry Louis Norwest, was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery, skill, and substantial 115 fatal shots made in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Similarly, Ojibwa tribe member, Francis Pegahmagabow, was the most decorated First Nations soldier in Canada’s military. He had 378 kills, captured 300 prisoners, and had remarkable success while fighting, particularly in the Battle of Passchendaele, where he was under shellfire, yet continued to fight tirelessly. The actions of Pegahmagabow and other Aboriginal soldiers led to Ontario’s province deeming the “splendid contribution of the Indians” as worthy of appreciation. Therefore, Aboriginals were not only decorated with numerous awards, but they were already gaining recognition, thus proving their achievements as significant. On the other hand, due to low African Canadian involvement, their accomplishments were on a much smaller scale than the Aboriginals. Private Jeremiah “Jerry” Jones was an African Canadian soldier who was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal due to his exceptional performance in capturing and killing enemy soldiers in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Aside from Jones’ recognition at the time, and his eventual earning of the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Conduct succeeding his death, there were very few other expressions of the accomplishments of African Canadians in Canada’s military in World War One. French Canadians also had low involvement, thus they consequently had insignificant accomplishments. Victoria Cross recipients Corporal Joseph Kaeble and Lieutenant Jean Brilliant, were successful in killing and capturing during the Battle of Ypres, the capturing of Mons, Belgium, and the Battle of Vimy Ridge. However, they were among the very few French Canadians who had any accomplishments, as very few French Canadians attempted to achieve military goals, due to their initial disinterest in Canada’s war effort. Ultimately, Aboriginal accomplishments during World War One clearly outweigh those of African Canadians and French Canadians. They had numerous accomplishments, and were decorated with awards for their significant achievements, making their accomplishments greater than the other participating minorities. Thus, the Aboriginals deserve the greatest recognition..
Although many minority groups contributed to Canada’s military efforts in World War One, including Aboriginals, African Canadians, and French Canadians, one minority is inevitably deserving of the highest level of acknowledgement and recognition for their involvement in Canada’s military. The Aboriginal minority group’s motives for contributing were most loyally connected to Canada, their involvement levels were much higher than those of other minorities, and their achievements substantially exceeded the accomplishments of other minorities. Therefore, the Aboriginals should receive the greatest recognition for their contributions in the war.