Thank you very much.
Thank you to the witnesses for sharing their experiences with us.
Ms. MacIsaac, my story is similar to yours. My father was in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was from Alberta, and I too am Métis. We're probably related because my family is also from around Lac Ste. Anne and the area north of there. It's nice to meet you.
My father spent 36 years in the armed forces. He joined during the Korean War. I'm a veteran as well. I was a reservist for a while. We always knew we were indigenous, but we didn't talk about it much. Before he died, I asked my father why he hadn't been more open about the fact that he was Métis, and he said that it wouldn't have helped him at all. That was the situation. Back then, people's attitudes towards indigenous people were much more negative.
I'm happy to see that things are changing. That's very important. I am a citizen of Métis Nation British Columbia, and I have family in Alberta. I'm also a francophone. My mother is francophone, and she encouraged me to learn French. As a teenager, I resisted, but I made the effort to learn later in life.
That brings me to my question. Have you seen significant changes? I believe you said you've been in the Canadian Armed Forces, or CAF, for 25 years.