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.
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