Canadian General Begins Crying While Apologizing for ‘Systemic Racism’ and Then Calls It a Milestone

Conservative News DailyNovember 1, 2025

The Chief of staff of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), General Jennie Carignan, issued a heartfelt apology for the systemic racism adn discrimination faced by Indigenous peoples, Black, Asian, and other racialized members within the military. Over many years,these groups encountered barriers that limited their ability to serve equally and were often mistreated. General Carignan acknowledged the institution’s failure to create an inclusive surroundings, expressing sorrow and resolve to improve. The apology marks a significant milestone in CAF’s history. Retired Sergeant Wendy Jocko, an Indigenous veteran, emphasized that beyond the apology, meaningful and lasting change is needed to address the long-standing issues. The apology follows a class-action lawsuit settlement costing $150 million, compensating military members who experienced discrimination from 1985 to present.

A top Canadian general wept Thursday while apologizing for discrimination in the Canadian Armed Forces.

“For way too long First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Black, Asian and other racialized members of the CAF faced systemic barriers that limited their ability to serve, contribute and thrive as equal members and too often mistreated and even abused at the hands of their fellow members,” Chief of Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan said, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

“I acknowledge we failed you,” she said.

“We didn’t create an environment where you could serve your country to the highest level with pride and determination and I’m sorry for the silence, indifference and that this went on for years,” she said.

NEW: Canada’s top general, Jennie Carignan, starts crying as she apologizes for “systemic racism.”

At one point during her speech, it sounded like someone was weeping in the background as well.

“I acknowledge we failed you… We didn’t create an environment where you could serve… pic.twitter.com/cQIx6g9jQn

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 31, 2025

She called her comments “a significant milestone in the history of the Canadian Armed Forces,” according to a video posted to X.

At one point, she appeared overcome by emotion and stepped back from the microphone.

“On behalf of the Canadian Armed Forces, I offer my most sincere and deepest apologies,” she said, appearing to tear up as she spoke.

“I apologize to every CAF member, veteran, who experienced racism, discrimination, and harassmen,t and I acknowledge we failed you,” she said.

“Speaking personally, what I have learned, has broken my heart. It has filled me with sadness, anger, but then the resolve to do much better,” she said, according to CTV.

“An apology, while necessary, is only the beginning,” retired sergeant Wendy Jocko, a former chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, according to CBC.

“Today we do not seek empty promises or hollow gestures, we seek transformative, deep, lasting, and meaningful change.”

Jocko served 23 years in the CAF. Her parents both served in the Second World War, and she had grandparents who fought in the First World War. Jocko traces her ancestors to a chief who fought for the British in the War of 1812.

“For generations, Indigenous peoples who stepped forward to serve Canada faced not only the dangers of military service, but also the wounds inflicted by systemic racism within the very institution they chose to serve,” she said.

As noted by the Richmond News, the settlement of a class-action lawsuit over racism in the military required that the Canadian Armed Forces acknowledge a history of systemic discrimination.

The lawsuit ended with a $150 million payout to individuals who served in the military from 1985 to the present.

Settlement amounts for individuals who said they experienced discrimination could range from $5,000 to $35,000.