How many First Nation Canadians served in World War 2?

Answer 1

There were a number of reasons why only a relatively small number of Aboriginals served in the Canadian armed forces during WW2. The total number is thought to have been about 20,000, out of a total armed forces manpower pool of one million, one hundred thousand men. In 1939 the official census of Aboriginals showed about 200,000 in total. That was all the men women and children who were recognised as " Canadian Indians ", by the Canadian Government. Language and litteracy ability, and low levels of education, were the main reasons why Aboriginals were not more numerous in the three services. Those that did get in were mainly directed to the Army, where their outdoor skills could be used. Many others wound up as labourers, loading or unloading trucks, ships, and stocking warehouses, which did not require much formal education. Only a very tiny minority ended up in either the Air Force or the Navy, where the great majority of the jobs were highly technical, and required at least a high school, and in some cases, a University education, for a man to become fully qualified in the trade. Aboriginals in the Air Force amd the Navy, were trained as cook's helpers, or basic cleaners, or other menial jobs.