First Nation found guilty of discrimination

Tuesday, January 29, 2008  

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. ordered the Ebb and Flow First Nation in Manitoba to pay more than $70,000 to a woman who was denied a job based on her Cree ancestry.

The band is predominantly Ojibwe. The tribunal found that Jean Bignell-Malcolm lost a job offer because she is Cree.

Bignell-Malcolm is married to a band member. She was told she couldn't have the job because she didn't speak Ojibwe.

But the tribunal said the language requirement was added after Bignell-Malcolm had already interviewed for the job. A band official testified that elders "didn’t really accept Jean, because she is Cree and none of us are Cree. We are all Ojibway."

Get the Story:
First Nation guilty of discrimination (Canwest News Service 1/29)

Get the Decision:
Bignell-Malcolm v. Ebb and Flow First Nation (January 25, 2008)

$rl Canadian Human Rights Tribunal - http://www.chrt-tcdp.gc.ca