(Joyce Burns (left) is wrapped in a Star Blanket after receiving the Silver Cross at a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Margo Fournier Centre. (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

By Derek Craddock

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On a day when bitter windchills hit the city outside, hundreds gathered indoors to pay tribute to Indigenous men and women who fought for Canada, including one who was taken in a tragic crime in September.

The family of Earl Burns was one of many families who attended the Remembrance Day Ceremony hosted by the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC). The annual event honours First Nations Veterans and those that died while serving their country.

The solemn ceremony started with a Grand Entry that included Indigenous Veterans, the RCMP, Prince Albert police, Air Cadets, and executive with the PAGC and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).

The ceremony was held this year at the Margo Fournier Centre, a building the PAGC purchased this past summer. In years past, the event occurred at the Senator Allen Bird Memorial Centre, which was destroyed by fire in April.

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Inside the gymnasium were large paper poppies, Canadian flags, and silhouettes of soldiers— all cut out and decorated by students from Montreal Lake Cree Nation.

Chief of Montreal Lake Joyce Naytowhow-McLeod was one of many dignitaries who spoke on the importance of honouring Indigenous veterans and the fight they still fight to be recognized.

One of the more emotional speeches came from Deputy Police Chief Farica Prince, an Indigenous police officer. She served many years with the Dakota Ojibway Police Service in Manitoba and Blood Tribe Police in Alberta.

In her speech to the crowd, Prince talked about how Indigenous Veterans are still struggling to get needed benefits and are often overlooked when compared to non-Indigenous veterans.

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

S/Sgt Brian Kelly with the Saskatchewan Indigenous Policing Services spoke about his Indigenous heritage and why it’s essential for RCMP to be recognized along with Veterans on Remembrance Day.

Grand Chief Dave Gamble spoke on behalf of the Saskatchewan First Nations Veterans Association as he recalled friends that he knew who served and lost their lives in combat.

(Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

After all the dignitary speeches and prayers were finished, the attention moved to the family of Earl Burns. Burns, a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces was one of 11 people killed in the stabbing rampage on James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon on Sept. 4.

His widow Joyce was honoured with the Silver Cross and while it’s normally reserved for mothers of fallen soldiers, the PAGC felt she was the best to receive the medal this year.

The family wiped away tears as they remembered their beloved father and community member. Joyce had few words when asked what receiving the Silver Cross meant to her.

“I was very honoured and emotional.”

(Derek Craddock/paNOW STaff)

Her son Earl Burns Jr. laid a wreath near the end of the ceremony alongside the other wreaths placed to honour those who served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War and those with the RCMP and on various peacekeeping missions.

Debra Burns, the oldest daughter in the family was moved by the support and compassion her mother received at the ceremony.

“It’s just an honour to have this award on behalf of our father, that he’s being remembered for what he did, his service,” she said. “Not only as a veteran but as a human being. It’s nice that they honoured him in this way and honoured my mother.”

—

derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @PA_Craddock