Statement from the Anishinabek Nation Veterans Committee on Anishinaabe Zhimaaganishii-giizhigad

ANISHINABEK NATION HEAD OFFICE (November 8, 2026) — Many First Nation Veterans served with honour and dignity in the World Wars alongside our allies, fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today. However, most First Nation Veterans were denied the right to participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies and were forgotten.

In recognition of these inequities, November 8 is recognized as Indigenous Veterans Day.

In recognition of November 8, the Anishinabek Nation Veterans Committee, along with a small contingent of Veterans from each Region, will come together at the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument in Ottawa to recognize and honour our heroes, including those who never made it home and remain buried in those foreign soils.

On November 11, we will stand proud alongside Canadian Veterans at the National War Memorial, honouring those who were once denied participation in National Remembrance Day ceremonies, and recognizing their contributions in war and peacetime, standing together with Pride and Unity.

We remember the fallen. We honour the living. We carry their names forward.

We give thanks for the warriors who stood when others would not, and for all who served in silence and sacrifice. Creator, watch over those who carry the wounds of war, comfort their families, and guide us to walk in peace, protecting the waters and the land they fought for. Remembrance is not an ending, but a promise.

In the name of all that is sacred, lest we forget.

Anishinabek Nation Veterans Committee