Manitoba military base works to bridge cultural divides

In the more than 20 years he has served with the Canadian military, Sgt. Sylvain Leblanc says he has seen steps forward in reconciliation and battling racism in the ranks.

"Twenty-one years ago, I cut my hair. When I went in the military today, we could grow our hair," Leblanc said. "There was more racism at that time, but now I take ... those jokes and I turn it to a culture way and teach people."

Leblanc, whose spirit name is Red Buffalo in Ojibway, is the co-chair for the Defence Indigenous Advisory Group at CFB Shilo, located about 210 kilometres west of Winnipeg. He helped organize activities for Indigenous Awareness Week as a way to bridge cultural divides between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada.

"These young military guys, they think once they get in the military, they won't see their culture anymore. And bringing those teepees up and bringing that culture back in, it feels more like home for those members," Leblanc said. "I think that's the biggest thing … teaching everybody else what is Indigenous and what we do and culture ways."

CFB Shilo's Indigenous Awareness Week wrapped Friday with drumming, songs and a round dance.

Lt. Brian Poole, who hails from the Tsay Keh Dene First Nation in British Columbia, said the week was an opportunity to celebrate Indigenous culture and teachings centred on the theme of "Reconciliation is a path we walk together."

Based on self-identification figures from January 2019, there are about 2,742 Indigenous members currently serving in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) regular force and primary reserve force — about 2.8 per cent of members. A CAF report in April 2022 said members of an advisory panel on systemic racism and discrimination found widespread problems in the military.

While the military makes efforts to recruit Indigenous youth, its culture doesn't respect their unique perspectives or traditions, the panel said.

"The programs for Indigenous Peoples almost appear to be an effort to 'get them in the door' so that they can then be assimilated to the traditional military mould with no further regard for their cultural diversity," the panel wrote. "There is very little effort to promote access to traditional Indigenous medicines, or spiritual practices such as smudging ceremonies. There is no appreciation for their spoken languages and no accommodation for their lack of 'bilingualism' in the official languages."

Poole, who has been with the Indigenous advisory group for about two years, said he has seen moments of reflection and celebration for his culture grow. He said this has been driven by support from other people on base.

"Reconciliation, it's just an acknowledgement and then a blending of the cultures, because the military has so many different people," Poole said. 

This makes it essential to understand how to work within these many different cultures as military members, Poole said. It also helps members learn more about themselves and the communities they serve.

"As I'm going along, I'm learning about my own culture as well. I spent many years in foster care, so I kind of lost the culture that I was born with," Poole said. "With this group, with what the military is providing, it allows me to explore my culture."

For Leblanc, walking the reconciliation path is all about education. 

He is a member of the Akicita Cante Waste men's group in Brandon — a connection he made through CAF. The group helped with some of the activities in Shilo and drummed during the round dance.

"It's really nice to see that involvement and seeing them dance. It heals yourself too at the same time," Leblanc said.

Tricia Harpe is a retired CAF member and co-chair of the Defence Indigenous Advisory Group for CFB Shilo. 

She said these opportunities to share, to educate and to unite Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members is a powerful experience.

Shilo is a small community, Harpe said, so it's good to build these bridges of friendship and knowledge.

"It's an education to make the way forward … With everything that's going on, it's just coming together and this is the beginning" Harpe said. "There's a big future way ahead."