Hundreds of thousands of Canadians stood next to cenotaphs in their communities on Wednesday to honour the sacrifice of Canadian veterans.
And among those in the crowds were family members whose heritage is First Nations, Chinese-Canadian and Indo-Canadian.
It took Abnash Gill, a longtime Coquitlam resident, to remind us that it was not only people of European heritage who fought in two world wars but people whose heritage traces back to other continents.
It should not be a surprise to learn that 74,000 Indian soldiers died in the First World War because the Sikhs have a proud military history.
Chinese Canadians also participated in wars despite the fact that they weren’t allowed to vote until after the Second World War and were subjected to a head tax.
Canadians must also remember the contributions of First Nations people to Canada’s military history.
As many as 4,000 fought in WWI and several thousand more enlisted in WWII in the fight to preserve our freedoms.
Remembrance Day is a great opportunity to recognize that Canada’s remarkable diversity is not something new but a long tradition that should be honoured, lest we forget.
