Submitted by: MNO Veterans’ Council President Joseph Paquette
MNO veteran Bernie Pepin C.D. (back row second from the
left) poses for photo with other members of the Canadian
Rifle Team in 2017. Click here for larger photo.During 2015, 2016 and 2017, Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) citizen and veteran Bernie Pepin C.D. successfully competed in three provincial and three national shooting competitions.
Pepin started shooting after joining the Army Cadets in 1973 and continued to shoot competitively for several years. Although he participated in shooting during most of his military career that started when he joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1981, he stopped competing in 1985 and wouldn’t until after his retirement in 2012. Pepin was able to return to competitive shooting in 2014 thanks to support from his fellow competitive shooters.
Although he is retired from the military, Pepin continues to compete in civilian competitions alongside some current and retired military shooters. In 2015, Pepin won a prestigious shooting award, receiving the Lieutenant Governor’s Prize for the top target rifle shooter and receiving second place for the Mercer’s Grand Aggregate. Within the same year, Pepin went on to win the Strachan Challenge Trophy for top sharpshooter in Canada. He placed twenty-second in the Canadian Target Rifle Championships and placed thirty-first in the MacDonald Stewart’s Grand Aggregate.
In 2016, Pepin placed fourteenth in the provincial Mercer’s Grand Aggregate, fourteenth in the national Canadian Target Rifle Championships and forty-ninth in the national MacDonald Stewart’s Grand Aggregate.
In 2017, Pepin placed forty-second in the provincial Mercer’s Grand Aggregate, twenty-first in the national Canadian Target Rifle Championships and fifty-fourth in the national MacDonald Stewart’s Grand Aggregate.
Pepin is not only a proud of his achievements as a competitive shooter but also proud of his Métis background and heritage.
Pepin’s mother had often spoken to him about his Métis background and heritage. At a young age, Pepin knew that both of his grandparents on his mother’s side were Métis, but he never thought of it further until he participated in the unveiling of a plaque in memory of his ancestor Pierre Falcon in 1985. Furthermore, during World War II, his Métis grandfather served with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles (also known as The Little Black Devils), a regiment that ironically engaged the Métis at Fish Creek and Batoche during the Northwest resistance of 1885.
Today Pepin continues to enjoy competitive shooting as a veteran as he did throughout his military career.
Posted: October 13, 2017