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OTTAWA — The Helmets to Hardhats (H2H) Indigenous Veteran Outreach Project has achieved significant milestones by engaging with over 70 Indigenous organizations nationwide since its inception in June 2023.

The initiative is aimed at fostering diversity in the skilled trades while advancing reconciliation by promoting careers in Canada’s 14 Building Trades Unions to Indigenous communities across Canada.

Led by the H2H Indigenous outreach adviser, the project has emerged as a pathway for Indigenous Canadian Armed Forces veterans and their families seeking opportunities in the unionized construction industry.

The engagement has been supported by the project’s active participation in eight major conferences and cultural gatherings, from the Hadiya’dagénhahs First Annual Pow Wow at Brock University to Indigenous Veterans Day celebrations in Manitoba and participating in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls March with the Cheam First Nation in British Columbia.

The events enhanced cultural awareness and facilitated valuable networking opportunities crucial for bridging the gap between military service and civilian careers, indicates a release.

Various outreach methods were used to engage with Indigenous communities including virtual outreach to remote communities and active participation in culturally significant gatherings.

The approach enabled H2H to exceed engagement goals by facilitating deeper connections within Indigenous communities while promoting the available opportunities in Canada’s Building Trades Unions, adds the release.

Going forward, H2H will reaffirm its commitment to reconciliation by empowering the Indigenous military community to explore career opportunities within the skilled trades workforce.

“I have enjoyed sharing the knowledge of Helmets to Hardhats with Indigenous veterans and their families who may not have had the opportunity to learn how they can enter into the unionized construction industry,” said Laura Leask, Medicine Star Woman, an Indigenous outreach adviser with H2H, in a statement.

“At Helmets to Hardhats, we have worked collectively to bridge the gap so Indigenous veterans and their families can enter meaningful and successful careers in the skilled trades. I am proud to be part of an organization that is doing its part and working towards purposeful reconciliation.”