Now that we’re past the election (I honestly still need more sleep), I’d like to share some of my recent research into Indigenous veterans of the #FWW and what it tells us about #RemembranceDay 1/

After the #FWW, the Canadian government passed the Pension Act in 1919, which gave disabled veterans monthly payments according to the level of disability incurred as a direct result of service 2/

Now for some disabled veterans, the process was fairly straightforward. If you had lost a leg or an arm, you were considered 50% less able to participate in the wage labour economy and given a 50% disability pension 3/

As the logic followed, the state was responsible for compensating only what a soldier had lost as a direct result of service. Nothing more, nothing less 4/

The burden of proof fell heavily on the veteran. They had to prove, beyond any doubt, that their post-war disability arose directly from an injury incurred on the battlefield 5/

For a veteran with a gunshot wound or an amputated limb, the process often wasn’t too difficult. But what about a soldier with shell shock, for example, whose injury wasn’t “visible”? 6/

These cases often led to protracted investigations that caused shame because it put into question the validity of one’s suffering and ability to work 7/

Indigenous veterans not only experienced this harsh treatment at the hands of the state as all veterans did but also a second hurdle—racism 8/

Throughout the interwar period, Indigenous veterans were assumed incapable of responsible financial stewardship due to racist assumptions of inherent laziness that dated back at least a hundred years 9/

As a result, in order to receive their pensions directly and without interference, Indigenous veterans not only had to prove their post-war disabilities were attributable to war service but also that they were financially responsible 10/

Now this might sound like a responsible state system of compensation. However, white settler veterans were *not* assumed financially irresponsible, as were Indigenous veterans, and had to prove *irresponsibility* before having their pensions administered 11/

It was a demonstrably unequal system that functioned entirely on racist assumptions that saw white veterans as trustworthy until proven otherwise and Indigenous veterans as inherently devious who could only be trusted when responsible behaviour was demonstrated 12/

What does this story of racism after the #FWW in Canada tells us about #RemembranceDay2020 ? Many may not know that there is a #NationalAboriginalVeteransDay that passed just three days ago 13/

In 1993, it was created out of a profound feeling that Indigenous experiences were largely disenfranchised from most #RemembranceDay services and that these same services didn’t acknowledge the unique discriminatory barriers Indigenous veterans faced when claiming benefits 14/

#NationalAboriginalVeteransDay came about precisely because of the racism Indigenous veterans have been experiencing for over a hundred years and continue to face today 15/

In my mind, the main takeaway from this thread is that remembrance isn’t equal because it never has been. #RemembranceDay claims to universally remember, but too often it relegates those who survive war to the sidelines and entirely forgets those survivors who aren’t white 15/

That is why I wear my beaded poppy on #RemembranceDay . It’s a more inclusive symbol of remembrance that acknowledges Indigenous peoples alongside other Canadians who fought in, died and survived our nation’s past wars 16/16