MNBC is proud to share stories of our Metis citizens from all walks of life. This week, we're proud to share with you the story of one of our Metis Veterans, Petty Officer Steve Morrison of the Royal Canadian Navy. Read more about him below!
Tawnshi All,
I am Steve Morrison, a Petty Officer 1st Class in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), and I have the pleasure of being the new National Military Co-Chair of the Defence Aboriginal Advisory Group (DAAG). In this position, with my Civilian Co-Chair, we are responsible for bringing Indigenous members’ concerns and issues from across the DND and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to leadership through our Champion Major-General Michel-Henri St-Louis, the acting Commander of the Canadian Army.
A bit about me: my family is from the 100 families of the Red River Valley; I was born in Calgary but grew up in Delta, BC; and I have been in the CAF for the past 36 years. I joined the Army Reserves with the Royal Westminster Regiment as an Infantryman in 1985, and transferred to the Regular Force as a Naval Combat Information Operator with the RCN in 1991. Over the course of my career, I have served in a number of units, holding a wide assortment of positions, from Ordinary Seaman aboard a ship, and operations planning for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, to being the Diversity Recruiter at Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Calgary, where I was responsible for Indigenous and diversity recruiting for southern Alberta, the BC Kootenays, and the Arctic. I had the pleasure of being an instructor on RAVEN, the RCN’s Indigenous youth employment initiative, and being posted to Naval Fleet School (Pacific), where I participated in setting up the navy’s newest operator trainer in Esquimalt. I am excited by my most recent role with Naval Training Development Center (Pacific), assisting in the development of an innovation and education hub for the RCN on the west coast.
As a member of the DAAG, I have seen many changes over the years, from our original mandate as an Employee Equity Group, to a group that advises command and other members on Indigenous issues. For the past three years, I have been the local military co-chair and acting BC Regional Co-chair. During this time, I have been a part of organizing CFB Esquimalt’s Aboriginal Awareness Week and the National Indigenous Peoples Day events. We also helped in the placing of smudge kits on all west coast ships, which is now expanding to all RCN ships on both coasts. A true highlight of my career was to smudge HMCS Calgary with other DAAG members, a first for an RCN ship.
In my mind, everything comes back to People. The People and our future are my passions; it is something that I learned about myself during my time in recruiting and then solidified during my time with the DAAG. As a Métis, I feel I have a foot in both cultures and it is my mission to build bridges between the two, setting examples for youth, and embracing the culture and ceremonies that are being lost. I have circumnavigated the globe, and seen so many different cultures and ways of life. I have seen examples where cultures work together and grow as well as when they clash.
I see the future of the DAAG as building on the successes of our previous leaders as well as the current regional and local leaders. I believe that working collaboratively with each other and our Champion is the best way ahead. We are at a crossroads in our organization and country, and we can only move forward if we truly work together with respect. I do not have the answers to all the questions, and some of the ones I do have may be wrong, however, I am willing to listen and learn. Working with our youth and advancing the understanding of our people within the greater society and the DND/CAF is paramount now, more than ever.
Marsee / Thank you, Steve Morrison