49th Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Convention held in Saint John, N.B.

Hundreds of people from coast-to-coast made their way to Saint John, N.B., for the 49th Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Convention.

Running from Aug. 24 to Aug. 28, the convention includes numerous presentations, a variety of vendors highlighting legion programs and support through various partners, and a parade, which was held on Sunday.

“We discussed many, many topics of interest to the legion,” says newly elected Royal Canadian Legion President Berkley Lawrence. “We always try to improve our legislation that governs the legion and we're always looking for ways to improve with technology and keeping the pace with the Canadian public.”

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The theme of this year’s convention is “Building our Future on a Foundation of Strength,” which Berkley says is not only a reflection of the legion’s past achievements but also a rallying cry for the work that lies ahead.

It wasn’t long ago the future of the legions looked bleak with veterans passing away and enrollment numbers falling, especially during the pandemic’s height. Some branches were even forced to close during those years.

However, what once looked like a dire situation is now looking up.

“For the last two years it’s been positive,” says Berkley. “We've had an increase in membership for the first time in many, many years. We have two years in a row of an increase in membership so everything is looking very nice for the future.”

For veterans and other members of the legion, its role in the community cannot be overstated. Ninety-seven-year-old Una Golding is a veteran of the Second World War and has been a member of her local legion is Peterborough, Ont., since the 1970s.

“It's very important for the youth and for the seniors and for the community,” says Golding. “The veterans are gone now and it's a different younger group, and they're all working together.”

One of those younger members is the provincial vice-president for the Saskatchewan Command, Nathan Hofmeister. He first joined the legion 11 years ago to honour his late grandfather who served in the Second World War.

Initially, Hofmeister joined to help with the yearly Remembrance Day Ceremony in his hometown. However, after seeing the impact of the legion on the community he got more involved.

“If the branches started crumbling that would be a huge impact on the lives of veterans and those communities,” says Hofmeister on their importance. “The legion will never let a veteran go unhelped. That’s one of the good things about the network that the legion has is being able to help everybody regardless of where they are.”

He also points out, with so few veterans of the Second World War and Korean War remaining, it’s important to educate the next generation on the current veterans to ensure they are regarded just the same as the ones who came before them.

“There's lots of opportunities to get youth involved,” says Hofmeister. “It's kind of breaking down those barriers and such that we see from some of the school districts and things like that across the country. We need to start educating the youth to see the importance of what the legion and what our veterans have done for this country.”

The legion will also put more focus on the “modern day veteran.”

“The Afghanistan veterans, the Bosnian veterans, peacekeepers,” says Berkley. “Just our common Canadian soldier today who is our veteran of tomorrow.”

Those looking for more information on their local legion branch can visit their website.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.