My name is Crystal Semaganis. I come to you from the N’dakimenan, which is the traditional territory of the Temagami First Nation and the Teme-Augama Anishnabai, where I live with my children.
I am the leader of the Ghost Warrior Society against first nations, Métis and Inuit identity fraud. We are a grassroots collective of volunteers made up of activists from across all sectors, whether they be arts and entertainment, academia, culture or language, virtually all facets of first nations, Métis and Inuit life. We have been meeting for over three years, because we saw a deficit in the data collected in regard to first nations, Métis and Inuit identity fraud.
For the purpose of this session, I will be saying the word “indigenous”, but I specifically mean first nations, Métis and Inuit.
It is important to know that we have been gathering information for decades. I have been immersed in this issue for decades, as I see, as a sixties scoop survivor, the roles of my people supplanted by those who say they are us, but they are not us. There is one key concept that I want to impart to you today, and that is the acronym CPAIN, which stands for “corporations posing as indigenous nations”. When it comes to reconciliation, we have a performative element that is consistent across the board, in all sectors across this nation, in which individuals and corporations are pretending to be indigenous and take up spaces to which they are not entitled.
CPAIN is a term that is derived from our affiliates that we work with across Turtle Island, most notably the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds, which essentially does exactly what we do but in the United States. We collaborate often, because the people whom we expose as fraudulent and who are taking up space to which they are not entitled move freely across this continent.
The issue of CPAIN is far-reaching. In our meetings—our volunteer meetings with zero resources, as we have been meeting for over three years—we have discovered that there are billions of dollars in resources that are pilfered by corporations, entities and individuals who are pretending to be indigenous when they are not, hence the term “pretendians” and “pretendianism”. This is a very serious issue, and we do not wish to suggest otherwise by using the word “pretend”. We use it for ease of conversation for those who must speak about this issue.
For us, the Ghost Warrior Society, one of the most horrific corporations that we have had to deal with over these last few decades has pilfered over $163 million since 1994, posing as an indigenous nation when they are not indigenous. That is the NunatuKavut Community Council.
I implore you all to watch a two-minute video from inuitknow.ca. It clearly positions Inuit people and their view on the NunatuKavut, which has morphed from the Labrador Métis Association into the giant corporation gobbling up first nations, Métis and Inuit resources to which it is not entitled. As recently as last month, it received $24.4 million to erect a new treaty centre in their lands.
Finally, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples is the pretendians' gate to funding. They also rally on behalf of the NunatuKavut and other entities that claim to be indigenous to garner money and resources. The sole purpose of pretendianism is first nations, Métis and Inuit resource acquisition, and it must stop. There must be legal sanctions to curb the pilfering and the unregulated, unstudied theft of very limited first nations, Métis and Inuit resources.
Thank you.