By Leonard Buffalo | Métis Affairs, North of Polite

First Nations and Métis Veterans Series · Part Seven · November 7, 2026

Robert Thibeau spent almost 38 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. He began as a private, served overseas, rose through the ranks and became a captain. After retirement, he carried another responsibility into committee rooms, community meetings and remembrance ceremonies. Indigenous veterans needed their experiences heard, and he helped make room for them to speak.

Veterans Affairs Canada identifies Thibeau as a Métis veteran born at Camp Shilo, Manitoba, and raised in Gagetown, New Brunswick. His service began with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in 1972 and included Cyprus in 1978 and Bosnia in 1997.

The work behind the years

In Cyprus, Thibeau served as a section commander. He was promoted to sergeant in 1979 and later reached master warrant officer. In 2002, he was commissioned as a captain. Those milestones tell part of the story of a career built over decades, through the responsibilities that accumulate as a soldier becomes responsible for others.

In Bosnia, he served with NATO’s Stabilization Force following the Dayton peace agreement. His Veterans Affairs account recalls helping with schools and spending time with children. The recollection places ordinary people beside the operational record.

His final military work included commanding the first squadron of the Aboriginal Leadership Opportunity Program at the Royal Military College of Canada. He retired in 2009, with the next generation of Indigenous leadership part of his service.

Getting veterans heard

The Office of the Veterans Ombud recognized Thibeau with a Lifetime Contribution commendation in 2020. Its account describes a founding member and president of Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones who helped carry Indigenous veterans’ concerns into national discussions. It also records his involvement in teaching Indigenous awareness courses and conducting culturally significant ceremonies during commemorative events overseas.

The ombud’s account credits his parliamentary testimony with helping lead to a cross-country tour where committee members heard from Indigenous veterans in community town halls. Thibeau helped prepare members for those visits by explaining cultural protocols and practices. That preparation mattered because the quality of a meeting begins before anyone takes a seat. People need to know that their community and its ways will be treated with respect.

A separate Veterans Affairs commendation records his work with the department’s Mental Health Advisory Group from 2016, his appearances before the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs and his cooperation with other veterans’ organizations. These records show sustained work across several institutions, with community concerns carried into places where policy and services are discussed.

Service and the right to be heard

Thibeau has publicly described hearing derogatory comments about Indigenous soldiers, an experience that encouraged him to explore his heritage. His later cultural education work addressed respect within military life.

As Indigenous Veterans Day approaches, Thibeau’s story brings the series into the years of Canadian peace operations and into the work veterans do after retirement. His record includes military service, cultural education, remembrance and advocacy. Each belongs in the telling. The people who serve Canada also bring knowledge of where its institutions need to listen more closely.

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