The organization responsible for enrolling Inuit under the Nunavut Agreement has removed twin sisters from its list in what is calls a first-of-its-kind case.
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated announced March 30 it was investigating alleged fraud involving the enrolment of 24-year-old Nadya and Amira Gill.
The organization said the women were enrolled in 2016 after their mother claimed she adopted them from an Inuk woman. That woman’s family recently disputed the claim and said they have no biological relationship to the twins.
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated said in a statement Thursday that it asked the Gills to provide evidence they have an Inuk birth parent but did not receive a response. The Iqaluit community enrolment committee decided to remove them from its list April 6.
The organization and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association have both called for the RCMP to investigate.
Neither sister responded to requests for comment and The Canadian Press was unable to reach their mother, Karima Manji. The allegations against them have not been proven in court.
The Nunavut RCMP did not respond to requests for comment.
The Qikiqtani Inuit Association, a regional group representing about half of Inuit in Nunavut, said an internal investigation found a 2018 enrolment application from Manji in which she claimed she had been adopted by two Inuit from Iqaluit. The association said that application was rejected by the enrolment committee due to lack of supporting documentation and based on their knowledge of the community.
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated said its enrolment process is robust and it’s taking additional measures to strengthen its application and review process to prevent potential future fraud.
The Nunavut Agreement is the largest Indigenous land claim settlement in Canada. Registering under the agreement grants Inuit access to benefits and rights, including scholarships, health care and use of Inuit-owned lands.
Noah Noah is the son of the woman the twins claimed to be their birth mother. He said in a statement on Twitter last week that it was a shock when his family learned Manji said she adopted the twins from his mother.
He said his family was not previously aware the sisters existed, but Manji is known to his family and his mother is a vulnerable person.
“It is harmful to Indigenous communities to claim and benefit from falsely claiming Indigenous identity,” he wrote. “Our family has not asked to be part of this conversation, but as we have been brought into it, we are seeking truth, justice, and accountability.”
Liam Gill, an older brother of the sisters, said in an email that to the best of his knowledge they share the same biological parents, Manji and Gurmail Gill.
He said they were not raised with any specific culture and he does not identify as Indigenous nor have status. He said his father immigrated to Canada from England and his mother from Tanzania.
Several online biographies provide some information about the sisters. Nadya Gill is a soccer player, coach and academic who was born and grew up near Toronto. She attended two universities in the United States as well as Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., where she studied law.
Durant Barristers, an Ontario law firm where she was working as an articling student in sports law, said she has been placed on leave of absence pending an internal investigation. The firm said the Law Society of Ontario is also aware of the case.
“We find it entirely unacceptable for anyone to falsely claim to be Indigenous and use it for personal gain,” Erin Durant said in an email.
Amira Gill also attended Queen’s University, where she studied civil engineering. Between 2017 and 2021, she was granted an award, scholarship and two bursaries designated for Indigenous students.
The sisters claimed to be Inuit in several news articles in 2021, when they launched Kanata Trade Co., an online business that sold masks designed by Indigenous artists. They said all proceeds would go to Indspire, which supported them through bursaries and mentorship.
The organization’s 2021-22 annual report states Amira Gill donated between $5,000 to $9,999 that fiscal year.
Indspire did not respond to a request for comment.
The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business said it suspended Kanata’s certification pending Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated’s investigation. It said it received and verified proof of Indigenous identity and ownership before granting the certification.
“We have confidence in our process and follow best practices,” Tabatha Bull, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “If anything, this shows just how much the public needs and values transparency and integrity. We value that too.”
Social media accounts and the website for the business are no longer active.
Jean Teillet is a Metis author, lawyer and Indigenous rights advocate who wrote a 2022 report for the University of Saskatchewan on Indigenous identity fraud. She said the Gill case is the first time she’s heard of alleged Indigenous identity fraud where someone has gained status under an officially recognized organization.
Teillet said she’s not aware of any case of Indigenous identity fraud in Canada where criminal or civil legal action has been taken.
Fraudulent claims are harmful, she said, because they take funding and opportunities away from Indigenous people and can create distrust about Indigenous identity.
“We’re just seeing more and more and more of these coming to the fore,” she said. “I personally think that all these ones that have been exposed are just the tip of the iceberg.”
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.