(Ottawa, ON) – November 11, 2025 – In this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, we are joined by his friend and former Master seaman with the Canadian Navy, Greg Guerin. Greg is a member of Kanesatake First Nation and speaks with Gordon about his 12 years of service, including some the most fulfilling moments of his career.

Greg is a Mohawk man who joined the army after graduating high school. He shares how joining the Canadian Armed Forces was something he always wanted to do. Greg speaks with Gordon about the stages of his training to become a naval communicator, including recruit training at HMCS Cornwallis, venue training and his on the job training where he was sent to work on the HMCS Qu’Appelle. Greg shares how when the Mohawk Resistance of 1990 happened at Kanesatake, he was in Hong Kong on his last warship. Greg’s Captain had forbidden him from travelling within 250 miles of Oka at that time. Greg shares the conflict he felt with that order and how the division between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples at that time created an “us versus them” mentality,  a perspective he hopes exists less so today.

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On this Remembrance Day, we pay tribute to the more than 461,240 veterans across Canada who have served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the 97,625 and the countless others currently serving in the United States Army and Marine Corps. Among them, more than 23,000 Indigenous Veterans – First Nations, Inuit and Métis, have answered Canada’s call. These Indigenous servicemembers, in many cases, volunteered at great personal cost, often facing discrimination both during and after their service. It is estimated that over 12,000 Indigenous people served in the major 20th-century wars, with at least 500 making the ultimate sacrifice. In this interview with Gregory Guerin, a former Master Seaman of the Canadian Navy, we honour not just his story but the collective debt all Canadians owe to those who fought to defend our freedoms. On Remembrance Day, we remember their courage, their sacrifice and our shared responsibility to ensure their service is never forgotten.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 25 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate Canadians about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Child Welfare System on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to address discrimination against Indigenous Peoples, and to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage Canadians to address discrimination and injustice to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of all.

The LHF has more than 30 educational exhibitions that educate Canadians about Indigenous history and that are free to borrow. LHF also has curricula for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, and two Podcast series, all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Child Welfare System, and other colonial acts of oppression. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding to eliminate ongoing racism against Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation in Canada.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Teresa Edwards, B.A., LL.B / J.D.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
tedwards@legacyofhope.ca