A Manitoba indigenous leader was suspended Friday after being accused of sexual harassment.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs voted to remove Arlen Dumas as Grand Chief during a closed-door meeting in Winnipeg. Dumas had already been suspended without pay after a staff member filed a misconduct complaint against him in May.
“There are policies that need to be put in place and women that need to be protected,” Acting Grand Chief Cornell McLean said after the no-confidence vote among the chiefs, which passed 30-13.
“When you are a leader in your community, you cannot (evilly) use your power of trust in any way, shape or form.”
Dumas said the allegation was baseless and issued a press release earlier this week saying he was seeking treatment for the trauma.
He did not attend Friday’s meeting and attempts by The Canadian Press to reach him were unsuccessful. An automated response from his email account said he was out of the province.
“There were three requests to his lawyer and he didn’t respond at all,” McLean said.
The harassment complaint was investigated by an independent investigation, which found that Dumas had engaged in sexual harassment in the workplace.
This was not the first time Dumas had faced a complaint. In 2019, he temporarily stepped down after an Indigenous woman said he tried to contact her using a fake identity on social media.
McLean apologized to the two women on Friday on behalf of the congregation. His comments were met with applause from a group of indigenous women who had gathered outside the closed-door meeting.
“This is a big step for us as far as the Chiefs are concerned. They’re ready to support us now,” said Lillian Cook of the Sagkeeng First Nation northeast of Winnipeg.
“There is so much abuse, harassment … women are afraid to speak up.”
Dumas was first elected Grand Chief in 2017 and was re-elected last year.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs represents the province’s 62 First Nations.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 5, 2022
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