President Doug started the meeting at 5:49. Tonight’s version of O Canada, provided by Nancy Morris’ cell phone, was in the Cree language. This was followed by a “Moment of Personal Reflection” then an introduction of guests – our speaker George McLeod and his wife Laura, as well as Jim Forestell Jr.
Rotary Announcements
President Doug sought information from Paul and Al on their respective responsibilities.
- Paul reported that the last Westgrove hamper day took place on Thursday last week. Future activities in this area are in a holding pattern depending on when classes begin again at Westgrove School.
- Al reported that he’d had a meeting with Rodney Penner (City Naturalist, Naturalist Services, City of Winnipeg) at the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee. Penner is supportive of the Charleswood Rotary Club’s activities in the Assiniboine Forest – with interests in signage, a second entrance (off Taylor Avenue), and an open mandate to produce cost estimates and source funding. He also mentioned that he will be meeting with Liz Wrefort, a landscape architect at Public City Architecture Inc., who had previously worked on signage programs in the Assiniboine Forest.
President Doug also reminded members of the following
- Winnipeg Rotary Club’s Ribfest is cancelled but the club is selling 50-50 tickets to fund youth programs, available online.
- the Zones 28/32 Online Summit will take place September 23-25 by Zoom. It’s free for all Rotarians and Rotaractors participating in the three plenary sessions– but please register in advance here. The cost for participating in the training sessions is $50.
- District 5550 will conduct a 4 hour long virtual Workshop on Saturday, October 17th, on ZOOM. The workshop is expected to cover the following topics: 1.RI Foundation Giving 2.Membership recruiting & retention 3.Fundraising Ideas
- The Rotary Club of Winnipeg Peace Builder Committee’s Peace Days 2020 Winnipeg will be a taking place September 11-21, 2020. A calendar of events organized can be found here.
Jim Forestell Sr. introduced his nephew, Lieutenant Colonel George McLeod, who was born, raised and educated in Germany and whose father and son are also members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Lt. Col. McLeod has degrees from University of Toronto, York University and University of New Brunswick. In his 14 years as a member of the CAF, he has also served in three overseas tours with the United Nations (UN) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
LCol McLeod spoke on the Indigenous experience in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). In response to federal employment equity legislation introduced in 1986, 8 years later (1994) the CAF and the Department of National Defence created 4 designated advisory groups – for women, people with disabilities, visible minorities and Aboriginal peoples. The following year, the Defence Aboriginal Advisory Group (DAAG) was formed in response to the Federal Employment Equity Act of 1995, which required responses from employers by October 1997, when the Canadian Human Rights Commission would begin auditing them for compliance. Although the focus was to have been employment equity, DAAG undertook multiple Indigenous causes in Canada. When the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2006, the DAAG pursued changes in Department of National Defence and CAF to make them more inclusive for Indigenous members. Although DAAG was supposed to have been just an employment equity group, they took on many other Indigenous Peoples issues – with results!
Allowing Indigenous members to wear long braided hair and their Aboriginal Veterans Millenium Medals
Adoption of the DND/CAF Eagle Staff, which is the symbol of unity among Aboriginal men and women in the defence community. Sporting an eagle carving, flags of Canada, the provinces and territories, 13 eagle feathers, a Metis sash, a First Nations ash bow & Inuit narwhal tusk, the Eagle Staff symbolizes “Many Peoples, One Nation”
Growth of Indigenous programs like Aboriginal entry, Aboriginal Leadership Opportunity Year, Aboriginal Summer Reserve training, and various recruiting initiatives
Advisory role to senior enlisted member on matters of policy framework, chaplaincy
Formation of a national executive with regional representatives supported by Base/Wing groups
Rangers program in Canada’s North, consisting of ~5000 people, ~60% of whom are Aboriginal
Support of the Junior Canada Rangers training where youth are taught traditional, life and Ranger skills
Conducting annual “Eagles Nest”, a week long youth camp to impart basic skills and leadership training while exposing military staff to Aboriginal values, traditions and history.
Future DAAG efforts may include allowing Aboriginal cultural practices during military ceremonial events and allowing Aboriginal members to retain their cultural practices within the military.
In LCol McLeod’s responses to questions from the members in the audience we learned that
there is also a Canadian Aboriginal Armed Forces (CAAF) program for aboriginal women
The Canadian Armed Forces long term Employment Equity goal for indigenous people is 3.5%. McLeod indicated that currently the figures are 2.8% for the Army, 1.7% in the Navy and 1.0% in the Air Force.
Lloyd Talbot thanked George McLeod for his presentation and presented him with an envelope describing one of our club’s favourite projects – ShelterBox.
Rotarian Jim Forestell, PDG – was happy to have both his son (Jim Jr.) as well as “one of his favourite nephews” (George McLeod) visiting.
Nancy Morris was pleased to announce that her twin grandsons from Alaska will be arriving on Thursday to self-isolate at the family cottage for two weeks before they join their hockey team (Neepawa Natives Junior A) in Neepawa.
Rod Delisle reported that he has completed 400 km of his 500 km goal in the virtual Great Cycle Challenge to fight kids’ cancer. A donation sheet sign up was passed around the 4 tables set up for the meeting.
Paul Brault reported that
his son Matt (last week’s speaker) has landed a contract as a teacher at a first nations community located a 10 hours drive north of Prince George, BC. And
His daughter and son-in-law have just recently taken possession of their first home
Al Roberts shared his happiness at having recently celebrated his 47th wedding anniversary.
Lloyd Talbot explained that he was quite partial to the last name of McLeod/MacLeod. MacLeod was the maiden name of his great-grandmother (from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland) and of her brother (a commissioner of the North West Mounted Police) after whom the community of Fort MacLeod (the first NWMP settlement in Western Canada) was named.
50-50 Draw
The winning ticket number, ending with the numbers 265, belonged to Jim Forestell Jr. Unfortunately, Jim Jr. did not pull out the lucky blue marble from the bag of marbles presented to him by Sarge Michael Dudar.
Fines
Sarge Michael fined those Rotarians who had not contributed to the “Invisible Polio Pot” – i.e. everyone present!
Next Meeting
The next meeting will take place at Breezy Bend (and online by Zoom) on Monday, August 24th and will feature Kreesta Doucette of the Conservation Trust.
