Warrant Officer (Retired) Brian Prairie

“I was a child of the sixties, but I didn’t fit.”

As a teenager, Prairie felt a gravitational pull towards adulthood, like he was meant to be doing something more for his community. “I was a child of the sixties, but I didn’t fit,” he explains. When it came time to make his post-secondary decisions, his next move was unclear. “When I was in high school, I felt like there was something different,” he says.

Following in the footsteps of his Métis father, uncles, and grandfather, he decided on his career path—the Army.

But he had to get creative.

“Here mom, I need you to sign these.”

Since Prairie wasn’t yet 18, he needed his parent’s permission to quit school early and enlist. With his father away for work, he took two pieces of paper to his mother and placed them in front of her, not telling her what they were until after she had signed. “She asked ‘What was that first piece of paper?’ I said “Well I just joined the Army” and I took the paper and ran away,” he recalls with a smirk.

He enlisted in May of 1971, and transferred to the supplementary reserve in November of 1985.

During his 15-year career, Prairie would become a highly skilled marksman having served both in Germany and in Canada. “I was a Cold War soldier,” he explains. “You served in Canada and prepared for what was necessary to do. Thankfully, necessary to do never came.”

He uses his platform to shine a spotlight on the sacrifices of the Métis people and highlight the contributions they have made to the Canadian Armed Forces.

“We are an emerging people. We were hidden for many years. It’s a very proud thing to bring our heritage forward and remember the sacrifices that [Métis] Veterans made.”

During the Second World War, the government promised Métis people land if they served. Métis people had unique set of skills that contributed greatly to the war effort. “The Armed Forces were very happy to have Métis people sign up. They were natural hunters, trappers and outdoorsmen. The outside was not a stranger to them. They ended up being snipers and sharpshooters all across the fronts because of their talents.”

Prairie is proud of his lineage. Every year, on Indigenous Veterans Day, he can be found taking part in commemorative ceremonies or events to honour Métis Veterans and celebrate his culture. “We are an emerging people; we were hidden for many years. It’s a very proud thing to bring our heritage forward and remember the sacrifices that [Métis] Veterans made.”

With courage, integrity and loyalty, Brian Prairie has left his mark. He is one of our Canadian Veterans. Discover more stories.