Cadets sold sealskin poppies made from a dyed seal pelt, raising $800 for a Legion branch under a new DND policy honoring Indigenous materials and reconciliation.

Cadets from Thorold’s 128 Flying Dragons squadron sold 65 sealskin poppies made from a red-dyed seal pelt obtained by their leader in Iqaluit, raising about $800 for the local Royal Canadian Legion branch. The initiative is part of a new Department of National Defence policy allowing poppies crafted from Indigenous materials like sealskin, beads, porcupine quill, and caribou bone, reflecting Canada’s commitment to reconciliation. The poppies, made using two designs, support Canadian Rangers in remote northern communities and honor both military sacrifice and Indigenous cultural ties.