William Lee Stevens, a Métis man who served in World War 2, was honoured at the Quesnel Tillicum Society and Native Friendship Centre. The recognition ceremony was held by the Métis Veterans Legacy Program, which works to recognize Métis veterans following the Canadian government's apology for the treatment of Métis veterans in 2019.
Stevens' family was in attendance in person and over Zoom. One of his daughters, Rhonda Yager, shared Stevens' biography.
She said that Stevens first came to Quesnel at the age of 13, travelling by horse from Alberta. Stevens moved around the whole Cariboo-Chilcotin area and worked on ranches until his father moved to the region to open a mill. She said Stevens got into antics with his friends in his youth, many of whom were close to him throughout their lives.
"One story everyone likes to tell is that one day dad and his best friend Richard McKay, roped a grizzly bear while out on a horseback ride because they were bored," Yager said. "That friendship was maintained up until the time they both passed as life circumstances kept placing them in each others' paths."
Stevens enlisted in the military at 17 to go fight in World War 2. He was sent to Holland where he fought in the battle of Hessler Field, which became known as Slaughter Hill. Stevens was the only member of his platoon to return from the battle, but carried injuries which lasted throughout his life. Yager said Stevens didn't like to talk about the war and avoided media that included any depictions of it.
Yager shared that she had the opportunity to see a video of Stevens being interviewed about the war.
"It was very enlightening some of the stuff that he shared. And also very heartbreaking," she said.
After returning from the war Métis veterans were not offered the same opportunities as white veterans. Sierra Hill and Jane Stevenson work in the Métis Veterans Legacy Program to find Métis veterans and hold ceremonies like the one for Stevens.
"Often Métis people were located in northern, remote areas. The Veterans Affairs wouldn't go to those northern remote areas where the population was heavily Métis and other Indigenous nations," Hill said. She said Métis veterans weren't offered the same resources around money or land that other veterans and often were not allowed to take advantage of education programs because they lacked prerequisites for university. "They fell into continued neglect from the federal government."
When Canada apologized to Métis veterans in 2019, it came with a $30 million to support the work of the Metis Veterans Legacy Program. One of the ways that happens, like with Stevens' case, is having a $20,000 cheque given to the veteran or divided among their family if they have already passed.
"That was to continue honouring and doing commemoration projects to keep honouring World War 2 veterans," Stevenson said. Commemoration projects are to build monuments, create Métis-veteran focused initiatives and promote awareness of Métis veterans' sacrifices and struggles. Communities and organizations who wish to apply for funding for a commemoration project can partner with a Métis organization, a Metis Nation Government or a Metis Nation citizen.
Hill and Stevenson will continue to work to find Métis veterans to honour through the program and are hoping to connect with more in Quesnel.
"I just encourage everybody to really understand what our veterans do and take that time to honour them," Hill said. "Not just on Remembrance Day, not just on Indigenous Veterans Day, but through every day because it wasn't just one day that they sacrificed."
After the war Stevens moved around Western Canada working at mills, he worked at many logging companies across the Cariboo and helped build logging roads that are still in use today. He attended as many ceremonies as he could through the Legion until he was no longer able to.
Stevens raised three families and Yager said he taught them important life skills.
"He taught us how to look after animals and hunt so we would always have food, simple mechanics so we would never be stranded, to keep our heads up and keep moving," she said. After the ceremony she shared her favourite memory of him.
During an argument, Stevens and Yager's mother went into separate trailers on their property. Yager, whose biological father passed away while she was young, was crying.
"I was crying uncontrollably and he came into the room and gave me a big hug and he said 'don't you worry, you're not going to lose another dad.' That kind of just explains the kind of man he was," Yager said. "Dad was amazing. And we all loved him to bits."
Stevens lived to be 101 years old and passed away on May 13, 2023. Each of his children received a portion of the $20,000 for him, a Métis beaded sash and a certificate.
