A man who appeared on a New Hamburg Legion banner honouring Canadian veterans during Remembrance Day has admitted to lying about serving in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Gigage Wahya previously told the New Hamburg Independent in articles published following Indigenous Veterans Day in 2022 that he served in the military for almost five years, including being deployed during the war in Afghanistan.
Shortly after the articles were published, the Independent spoke with several people who claimed Wahya had never served in the Canadian Armed Forces.
The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces confirmed this information and the online articles have since been removed.
After weeks of phone, email and text communication attempting to speak with Wahya about the accusations, Wahya confessed to the Independent via text message on Jan. 23 that he was not truthful.
He said he had a friend in 2014 who nicknamed him corporal, and he took on the name and began identifying himself as ex-military. In 2022, he continued to identify himself as a veteran and volunteered to hold a flag during a powwow in Kitchener.
Last year, the New Hamburg Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion launched a banner program to honour veterans. Keen on recognizing Indigenous veterans, former Wilmot Township Councillor Angie Hallman put Wahya’s name forward after he shared personal stories about his service.
“All of my information is stories that he has shared with me in confidence,” Hallman said,...
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