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 Soldiers who were born around the world are participating in a sovereignty operation exercises in the Arctic. (Cpl. Shaun Felix, Pvt. David Hannon, and Cpl. Michael Ceuvas.) (Kathleen Harris, Sun Media) |
KUGLUKTUK, Nunavut -- Warm-blooded and Jamaican-born, Master Cpl. Anthony Sherwood is learning survival skills to protect Canada's sovereignty in the frigid high North.
Sherwood, 35, is among the small but growing ranks of immigrants and visible minorities in Canada's military. While defence department recruitment drives have targeted those outside the traditional "white male" majority, numbers still remain low and Sherwood hopes the Canadian Forces will one day better reflect Canada's real population.
"You see everyone around here, and look at me," he said, his eyes scanning the makeshift bunkers occupied by mostly white male soldiers. "This is not Canada. So I figured if I joined I make it a bit more diverse, because Canada is diverse."
With tours of Bosnia, Kosovo and most recently Afghanistan under his belt, this is Sherwood's second excursion to the Arctic. Growing up in Ottawa and Toronto, Sherwood said he enjoys learning about the native Inuit culture and how the Canadian Rangers patrol the northern frontier.
As an immigrant, Sherwood joined the military to give something back to his adopted homeland.
"If you like it, you'll make a good go of it, but if you miss your home a lot, or if you don't like seeing blood, or you don't like facing the elements, the army's not for you," he said.
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COLOUR DOESN'T MATTER
Second Lt. Andrew Kang, who was born in Korea and moved to Canada at age 5, called it a "high" to successfully lead a group of 40 troops to complete a task and believes ethnic background is irrelevant.
"They don't care. It all comes down to can you do the job, can you do it well and will people respect you when you do the job," he said. "I figure it's clear cut across the board, if you're a different minority or male or female."
Cpl. Michael Ceuvas, who was born in the Philippines, agrees that skin colour and gender aren't important in the military.
"Once you get settled, you're just one of the boys," he said.
After graduating high school, Pakistan-born Cpl. Shaun Felix did a year of business, then toyed with the idea of policing in Calgary before joining the army.
"Canada has been really good to me, and it's something that I felt I needed to do, to give back to what Canada has given me, and to make a difference in my life, others, meet new people and make a difference overseas," he said.
"I've grown to be a better person in the knowledge of what people are and what people are like through their different cultures."
Pvt . David Hannon of Toronto, whose father is Jamaican and mother of Italian background, has never experienced overt racism in the military but said it simmers in small but quiet pockets.
"Some people come from smaller towns and have different mentalities... being a minority you won't hear it first hand, they're pretty good at keeping it under the carpet," he said. "But a few of my friends said there's a few guys that just straight-up don't like minorities."
MISSING OUT
Hannon, who plans to earn his university degree then return to the military, said many young people are missing out on a career with the CF because they view it as a "place for white people."
"And you can't blame them because it's 90%-95% whites," he said. "It's a shame because I know a lot of black guys who could use this. A lot of people here have said if I weren't in the military I'd be in jail, and I've talked to a lot of my friends, coloured and otherwise, who are going nowhere fast, and I say try the military and they say the military is for white people."