Cree sisters accuse childhood abuser of Indigenous identity fraud in court

WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.

In a Peterborough, Ont., courtroom last year, three Cree sisters unfolded the difficult stories of their childhoods. They recalled the beatings their aunt by marriage routinely meted out.

They alleged Katherine Cannon, the woman acting as their foster parent, had beat them with her fists, a belt and razor strap, and abused them with death threats and racist insults in the 1960s and '70s.

The woman who called them "dirty Indians," they testified, later became a self-styled "chief" of the Algonquins of Ontario organization. They alleged her Algonquin identity was "bogus" and was adopted for personal gain in the 1990s.

It took 10 years of civil litigation, but in November a judge ruled Sharon Cannon, Rosie Christie and Darlene Paddy-Cannon were telling the truth about the abuse.

"They were belittled, treated differently from others, hit with a belt and a razor strap, treated as servants, and left vulnerable," wrote Ontario Superior Court Justice S.E. Fraser. 

"They lost their childhood."

The lawsuit has been called important for survivors of historic abuse, and is a rare case where allegations of Indigenous identity fraud and the associated harm were tested in court. 

The sisters argued their abuser's dubious Algonquin identity claim added insult to injury, allowing her to reap financial benefits and political opportunity by cloaking herself in the heritage she once maligned and mocked. 

The Algonquins of Ontario is a controversial organization, which many have accused of being substantially non-Indigenous.

Identity fraud matters, the plaintiffs argued, because it marginalizes First Nations, robs them of opportunity and allows settlers to shape their future — a situation of "great concern" generally, the judge wrote.

Fraser held Katherine Cannon and the Canadian government liable for the abuse, and awarded each sister $260,000. But the judge declined to rule on whether Katherine Cannon falsely claimed an Algonquin identity, citing insufficient evidence.

Katherine Cannon denied all the allegations at trial, and she and the Canadian government have appealed separately to the Ontario Court of Appeal. Katherine Cannon did not respond to a request for comment.

In court filings, her appeal lawyer Robert Reynolds argued Fraser reached conclusions that were "illogical, irrational, and not supported by the evidence," particularly in rejecting defence testimony. Reynolds declined to comment.