No, I don't, and I say this not lightly, because a lot of times.... I work at the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre. I've been there since December 2011. Every day, I see veterans come in that door, and I connect with them. They can't get ahold.... Sometimes they are too nervous. I try to get them to go to Veterans Affairs for services. A lot of them don't want to go into government agencies because of the way they have been treated in the Canadian Armed Forces.
The way they need to be treated, especially for post-traumatic stress disorder, or because of the way they've been treated in the military and don't know how to get the help.... They need to be treated from a cultural way, from a cultural perspective. You cannot treat them the same way you treat other veterans. No disrespect to other veterans, but the way we are brought up is through sharing circles and through sweat lodges.
That's what helped me from my trauma when I came back from Rwanda. It was through sweat lodges and talking with my elders. That's what helped me through very difficult times. I can't say whether just going through talking to a psychologist would have helped, but I don't think they get the same treatment. People need to look at it from a different perspective with indigenous folks.
Thank you. Meegwetch.