A former soldier in northern New Brunswick is leading a drive to create an aboriginal-only regiment in the Canadian Forces, aimed at making aboriginal youths feel comfortable enough to enlist.

Serge Noel of Dalhousie came up with the idea of creating a unit exclusively for First Nations, Inuit and Métis troops, and building a permanent military base just for native soldiers.

His campaign has the support of the nearby Eel River Bar First Nation and some federal Opposition politicians, including Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre.

"We're talking to [aboriginal] youth that want to join the Armed Forces, but are not comfortable with the situation," Noel said. "But when we make mention of a native-only [regiment], they are very excited and very upbeat about it."
 
Noel, who is francophone but not native, said the military can be a tough place for people who are not anglophone or white.

Noel said that, for a lot of his military training, he was sent to Calgary, where he had to work in English.

He pointed out that the francophone minority in the military at least has the option of joining the Van Doos, the Royal 22nd Regiment in Quebec, which was created in the First World War for French-Canadian troops.

Eel River Bar Chief Everett Martin said the idea of an aboriginal-only regiment was long overdue.
 
"If there was a unit here for First Nation peoples, we'd have more people involved," Martin said Tuesday. "We'd have more people that would go with pride."

Noel and Martin said they approached federal Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor  with the idea, but he wasn't interested.

However, they said Coderre, the Liberal defence critic, was on board and thought it was an inclusive way to attract aboriginal recruits.