RCMP asked to investigate Inuk status enrolment of Kingston, Ont. sisters

The organization that oversees Indigenous status under the Nunavut Agreement is asking the RCMP to investigate the actions of two Kingston sisters and their adoptive mother, following an investigation into their Inuk status.

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc (NTI) and Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) issued a statement on Thursday saying Amira and Nadya Gill have been removed from the Inuit Enrolment List, and the RCMP has been asked to investigate the actions of the Gill sisters, along with their adoptive mother Karima Manji, in applying for enrolment under the Nunavut Act.

Amira and Nadya Gill are twin sisters who hold status as Inuk. How they got that status was being investigated for potential fraud by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

In a media release on March 30, the NTI said a woman named "Karima Manji claimed that twins Amira and Nadya Gill were her adopted children and identified an Inuk woman as their birth mother."

“NTI has received information from the woman identified as their birth mother that Amira and Nadya Gill are not her children. Today, she initiated the process to have Amira and Nadya removed from the Inuit enrolment list."

On Thursday, the NTI said the Iqaluit Community Enrolment Committee made the decision on April 6 to remove Amira and Nadya Gill from the Inuit Enrolment List.

"On March 30, 2023, an application was made by the Inuk woman’s legal guardian to remove Amira and Nadya from the enrolment list because the Gills have no biological relationship with her," the NTI said in a statement.

"The Gills were asked by NTI to provide evidence that they have an Inuk birth parent as claimed in their application. No response was received.

"During its internal investigation, the QIA identified a 2018 application for enrolment from Karima Manji in which she stated falsely that she had been adopted by two named Inuit from Iqaluit. This application was denied by the Iqaluit Community Enrolment Committee based on their knowledge of the community and the lack of supporting documentation."

CTV Ottawa’s requests to interview Amira Gill and her sister have gone unanswered. However, before the investigation was launched, Amira Gill maintained to CTV News that the sisters do hold status.

The Gill sisters have been awarded scholarships and launched a business based on their Inuit status. Indspire, an organization that provides scholarships to Indigenous students, gave them bursaries to attend Queen’s University.

In 2021, the sisters created a company called Kanata Trade Co., which sold masks with Indigenous artists' artwork.

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Kimberley Johnson