Born in 1924 on the George Gordon First Nation located near the town of Punnichy in Saskatchewan, Howard Anderson joined the Canadian Forces at 16 to serve his country during World War II. Because he was so young, he was assigned to the Service Corps, an important part of the war effort.
Upon his return home after the war, Howard Anderson acted as Grand Chief of the Saskatchewan First Nations’ Veterans Association. He worked hard to lobby for recognition of Aboriginal veterans and for compensation commensurate with what non-Indigenous soldiers received when they returned home. In 2002, his lobbying efforts paid off and compensation packages were distributed to each eligible First Nations war veteran or their spouse.
In addition to securing compensation for veterans, Anderson was also involved in efforts to have First Nations veterans included in Remembrance Day commemorations in Ottawa. One of his other causes was to build the Veterans Memorial Glass Tipi on the Regina campus of the First Nations University of Canada.
Howard Anderson passed away in 2010 at the age of 86.
To learn more about Howard Anderson, read: https://ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/howard-anderson-footprints
This video was created as part of a project at First Nations University of Canada that began in 2009. We gratefully acknowledge Howard Anderson's years of service for the People of George Gordon First Nation, the Saskatchewan First Nations’ Veterans Association, and for all Indigenous veterans of Canada. We also gratefully acknowledge his years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces during World War II.
| Name | Role/Job Title |
Place |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Missens | Professor | Regina, SK |
| Jennifer Dockstator | NCCIE Project Director | Oakville, ON |
| Stewart Manhas | Video Editor | Regina, SK |