Utoo Radio - March 5 2024 - Two sisters' Inuk status is being probed for the first time after claims of Inuit ancestry fraud.
Twin sisters Amira and Nadya Gill have claimed to be Inuk. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI), which controls Indigenous status under the Nunavut Agreement, is investigating their status-granting process for fraud.
The NTI reported that “Karima Manji claimed that twins Amira and Nadya Gill were her adopted children and identified an Inuk woman as their birth mother.”
“NTI has learned from their birth mother that Amira and Nadya Gill are not her children. She started removing Amira and Nadya from the Inuit enrolment list today.”
The announcement claims the probe is the organization's first.
In talks with Nunatsiaq News and APTN, family recognized the unknown woman as Kitty Noah.
Noah, her son, told Nunatsiaq News that his mother was enrolled fraudulently:
“My mother has no knowledge of these people or that her name was used to grant them Inuit land claims beneficiaries.”
CTV Ottawa has been denied interviews with Amira Gill and her sister. Before the probe, Amira Gill told CTV News the sisters have status.
The sisters asserted in a March 30 Nunatsiaq News article that their “Inuit family ties are through an Iqaluit family that their mother lived with.”
The Gill sisters received scholarships and started an Inuit-themed business. Indigenous students received Queen's University bursaries from Indspire.
Kanata Trade Co., founded by the sisters in 2021, marketed masks featuring Indigenous art.
The sisters were interviewed by CTV News about their efforts. They said mask sales will benefit Indspire and the artists.
The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Businesses certified it.
The council told CTV News that the company followed all Certified Aboriginal Business standards, but after the review, it said:
“We have suspended the certification and are awaiting NTI's investigation before deciding whether to reinstate or revoke it.”
Kanata Trading Co.'s website and social media are down.
NTI will not comment until a decision is made as the inquiry proceeds.
