Inuit leader replaced amid allegations of abuse
CBC
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
The Manitoba Inuit Association (MIA) has appointed an interim CEO, it announced late Friday afternoon.
It comes as a petition with more than 1,200 signatures circulates calling on the non-profit to look into allegations of sexual and physical abuse against its CEO, Nastania Mullin.
It’s part of a larger movement online that some are calling an #InuitMeToo grassroots campaign, with Inuit women and gender-diverse people across Canada sharing stories of alleged abuse by Mullin and other male Inuit leaders.
“The petition was a scream for justice,” said Crystal Martin, the petition’s organizer and an Inuk advocate who is not one of the alleged victims.
“There’s a shared understanding now that this is not just a moment, it's a movement. And people are saying, ‘We're ready to do better.’”
Meanwhile, an MIA board member has resigned, alleging her proposals to launch an independent investigation were met with “resistance.”
Mullin did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The MIA did not directly answer questions about his status or the current and historical allegations against him, instead sending an unsigned email that said it was appointing an interim CEO and wasn’t prepared to comment on “matters outside of our organization.”
CBC News has not been able to confirm Mullin’s status at the association or the interim CEO’s identity.
When alleged survivors began sharing stories about Mullin on social media, Joanie French, then MIA’s secretary-treasurer, commented on one of the posts that she was embarking on a fact-finding mission and would present her findings to her fellow MIA board members.
Then, in a special meeting last weekend, she resigned.
When contacted by CBC News, French said she couldn’t comment “while legal and oversight processes are still underway.”
She provided a statement about her resignation, writing that she had encouraged the board to seek external legal counsel, initiate a third-party investigation and ensure staff could speak without retaliation. However, she said, those efforts “were not supported.”
French also forwarded information about specific allegations to the appropriate authorities and oversight bodies, she said in the statement.
More than a month after the deadly mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, stories of bravery during the tragedy are being shared.
Just over six months after the University of Prince Edward Island's medical program began, the dean of the faculty says things are “going wonderfully.”
One person has been found dead after a large fire gutted a home in Mississauga on Monday night, officials say.
The Northwest Territories government says it has found elevated levels of lead in drinking water at the Chief Jimmy Bruneau school in Behchokǫ̀.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree faced pointed questions Tuesday about why the federal government has deported one Iranian official, despite longstanding concerns about how the regime operates in Canada and abroad.
An RCMP-led corruption investigation is underway and search warrants were executed on a number of properties including the homes of former mayor Jyoti Gondek, former councillor Sean Chu and sitting councillor Andre Chabot.
Toronto police say they are creating a counter-terrorism unit and a specialized task force that will see officers with semi-automatic rifles stationed at key locations in the city.
ATCO Ltd. says it's taking a 40 per cent ownership stake in the company building the Grays Bay Road and Port project.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser says he has no plans to change how judges are appointed in Canada despite four premiers writing to Prime Minister Mark Carney to ask for more of a say in the process.
An RCMP-led corruption investigation is underway and at least one current and one former Calgary city councillor, as well as a business were subject to search warrants executed last week, CBC News has learned.
Ontario’s education minister is telling school boards to ensure their upcoming graduation ceremonies don’t express any “political views” or “engage in divisive or contentious issues of any kind,” according to an internal memo obtained by CBC News.
A new daily non-stop flight between Charlottetown and Montreal is set to begin this summer.
The Crown has dropped mischief charges for a second time against a London, Ont., doctor accused of spraying ketchup on the office of a local MP during a 2024 protest.