OTTAWA - Three Junior Canadian Rangers from Qikiqtarjuaq were selected of out 4,500 people across the country to be part of Remembrance Day activities in the nation's capital.

Placing their poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the heart of Ottawa's downtown on Nov. 11 are from left, starting at the second person in, Junior Canadian Rangers Jenny Mosesie, Kayla Qappik and Stanley Aliqatuqtuq. - photo courtesy of Capt. Sharon Low

"It was a blast," said Junior Canadian Ranger Jenny Mosesie.

Mosesie and fellow JCRs Kayla Qappik and Stanley Aliqatuqtuq were three of 10 Northern youth who spent Remembrance Day week in Ottawa from Nov. 5-12.

Joined by others from Carmacks, Yukon, and Ulukhaktok, NWT, the youths between the ages of 14-18 all are members of the Junior Canadian Ranger program under the 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (1 CRPG).

Mosesie, a Junior Ranger for the last three years, said she was happy to have been part of the activities.

"I was proud to be in the parade and I was proud of myself," she said.

Capt. Sharon Low said she was proud of the youth she was escorting and she said society often underestimates people in this age group.

"What the veterans had done mattered to these kids; they really genuinely cared as they were stopping veterans on the street, shaking their hands and saying thank you for being here today," said Low, a Junior Canadian Ranger officer based in Yellowknife.

Canadian Ranger Lizzie Natsiapik from Qikiqtarjuaq also accompanied the group.

For her, standing in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider was her most powerful experience.

"There were sounds of gunfire during the ceremony. The ones in World War One and World War Two would have been much louder and I appreciate what they went through," she said.

The Junior Rangers were chosen to go on this trip based on their Canadian Ranger patrol within their community and their participating in the Junior Ranger program and school.

In addition to being part of the Remembrance Day parade, the JCRs went to the ceremony held in the Senate chambers, visited Parliament Hill to meet the Speaker and to see the mace, and went to the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum. They also took in an Ottawa Senators hockey game.

They also went to special ceremonies at the headquarters of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada in Gatineau and at the aboriginal veterans' monument.

"It was good meeting new friends from across the North and across Canada and hearing their stories," said Mosesie.

She and the others heard stories of First Nations people, Inuit and Métis who were in the navy, army and air force.

Low said Aliqatuqtuq was nicknamed the "co-pilot" and took charge of the directions and ensuring everyone was on time.

"He's in his last year of high school and there is no doubt in my mind he's going to accomplish great things for that community as you'll see him in a leadership position," Low said.

Low said Qappik took an interest in Canadian history and in learning more about the country's national identity.

"It was a big difference to go from our community to the big city with lots of tall buildings, traffic and people but it's good for the kids and it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Natsiapik said.

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