Canadian Woman jailed over false claims Daughters were Inuit

A Canadian woman received a prison sentence for falsely claiming her daughters were Inuit to get scholarships and business grants.

Karima Manji was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000.

She fraudulently filed out forms claiming her twin daughters, Amira and Nadya Gill, were Inuit children so they could receive benefits from the Nunavut land claim through Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.

Manji’s sentence is the first of its kind in Canada for a ‘Pretendian’ – a person who has falsely claimed Indigenous identity. 

Judge Nunavut Justice Mia Manocchio said:

“This is an egregious example of the exploitation of Indigenous Peoples.

“Ms Manji’s case must serve as a signal to any future Indigenous pretender that the false appropriation of Indigenous identity in a criminal context will draw a significant penalty.”

The Canadian woman claimed her children were the biological daughters of Inuit woman Kitty Noah and that she had adopted them.

Once the girls were enrolled in the benefits programme, they received over $158,000 from two organisations.

NTI president Aluki Kotierk said in a statement:

“Justice Manocchio set a precedent with her ruling today, making it clear to potential fraudsters that Indigenous identity theft will not be tolerated.”

The twin sisters won scholarships and grants for their online business that sold Covid-19 face masks and regularly advertised the brand as Inuit-owned.

They were initially charged with fraud but the charges were dropped once their mother pleaded guilty.

Manji has returned $130,000 of the money and was ordered to pay back the remaining sum.

Kitty Noah’s son Noah said he was relieved by the sentencing after his mother died in 2023.

He said:

“I didn’t think she [Manji] would get anything longer than two years less a day, so I’m very pleased with the outcome.”

“I just feel better, knowing that it’s a message sent to anyone that’s trying to defraud Indigenous, Inuit, First Nations. It’s a good day.”

Manji’s lawyer Scott Cowan said the sentencing was “much higher than most similarly situated people” and his client was being used as an example.

He said: “The unique factors in this case led the judge to make this an exemplary sentence.

“The only answer, based on the totality of the judgment, is that it was to make an example.”