The Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act is going to be presented for third reading at Queen’s Park.
The bill, if passed, will create an award for Cadet Corps and Squadrons at the Annual Ceremonial Reviews. Ontario’s 288 active Canadian Cadet Corps and Squadrons will select a member who has displayed exceptional volunteerism and citizenship over the previous year for a new award from the province of Ontario, the Murray Whetung Community Service Award.
In the First and Second World Wars, it is estimated that more than 7,000 First Nations individuals volunteered to serve. For many who served continuously, their rights were stripped for time away from the reserve. Indigenous veterans able to retain their status were often ineligible for benefits available to non-Indigenous veterans following the wars.
Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith says Murray Whetung was a pillar in our community and he volunteered fight in the Second World War and dedicated his life to family and service. He adds this bill does more than recognize the life of one man; it seeks to teach others of the injustices First Nations veterans faced for risking their lives in service to Canada.
“My Shomis (grandfather) was humbled when MPP Smith approached him about the idea of an award named after him. My Shomis did what he thought needed to be done and didn’t expect special recognition. He was a shining example of choosing happiness in the face of adversity and an inspiration to so many of us,” said Emily Whetung, former Chief of Curve Lake First Nation.
The third reading will take place after the Opposition Day Motion and will be live on the Legislative Assembly video feed www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/video.
