Hymie Rubenstein is editor of REAL Indigenous Report, a retired professor of anthropology at the University of Manitoba, and a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.Indigenous politician Nahanni Fontaine was recognized as a “beacon of advocacy and leadership” in April 2024.According to her “Humble Beginning Stories” biography, Fontaine “embodies the spirit of resilience and dedication in her role as a Canadian provincial politician.”Though a member of the Sagkeeng Anishinaabe Indian Band, Fontaine was raised in Winnipeg’s hardscrabble Point Douglas neighbourhood, home to about one-third of the city’s indigenous population.The adversities Fontaine experienced growing up, including childhood sexual abuse, did not prevent her from pursuing an advanced education, including earning a Master of Arts degree in native studies at the University of Winnipeg..Her biography claims, “These academic achievements laid the foundation for her profound understanding of indigenous rights and social justice issues.”Fontaine’s political career soared when she was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for the inner-city riding of St. Johns abutting Point Douglas in 2016. In the 2023 election, she received 61% of the popular vote in this perennial NDP stronghold. As an advocate for marginalized aboriginal communities, Nahanni has spearheaded legislative initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and well-being of indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals.In 2023, Fontaine’s leadership was further recognized when she was sworn in as Minister of Families, Accessibility, and Gender Equity.Fontaine’s steady rise to power is now in tatters after she used her privileged position to block the use of American Sign Language (ASL) for people with hearing disabilities at a graduation ceremony for indigenous women on Thursday, June 26..Sign-language specialist Sheryl LaVallee shared the graduation ceremony stage alongside various speakers, allowing members of the audience who communicate using ASL, a visual language comprised of hand movements and facial expressions, to be included in the conversation — a basic social justice right that Fontaine quickly discarded.Following her speech to the crowd, Fontaine shared a grievance with her press secretary, Ryan Stelter. With media looking on, Stelter congratulated Fontaine on her speech. Fontaine replied, “I was thrown off,” not knowing she was being recorded by APTN News, which posted its contents online. “It wasn’t great, but because the woman [LaVallee] — she shouldn’t have been on the stage.”Fontaine then said she couldn’t see the left side of the stage due to the interpreter and that “all I could see was her…”“Frantic hand movements?” was Stelter’s disparaging interuption.“Yes! I’m like, f----, why did I have her on the stage,” added Fontaine, “Jesus, I’m like ‘you need to leave’.”.This is the same Nahanni Fontaine who in late March announced that the Manitoba government is allocating $1.6 million to support resources and programmes for two-spirit and transgender Manitobans.“We’ve heard directly from two-spirit, transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse Manitobans about why visibility is truly lifesaving,” said Fontaine.“Two-spirit, queer, trans, and gender-diverse peoples, who are choosing to live authentically and joyfully in a world that too often meets them with ignorance, transphobia, and homophobia, deserve to be seen and celebrated, today, and every day.”Authentic and joyful living for hearing-impaired individuals was met by Fontaine’s ignorance on graduation celebration day.Deborah Owczar, who is deaf, said the interpreter was removed from the stage for the rest of the ceremony, depriving her and her daughter access to ASL participation during the first annual Mino’Ayaawag Ikwewag Celebration of Indigenous Women Graduates.Owczar, who is Métis, had just earned a child and youth care certificate through a partnership between Ndinawe and Red River College Polytechnic.She said she was looking forward to getting dressed up with her daughter and celebrating with other indigenous high school, college and university grads..Owczar said when she saw the video of Fontaine’s comments the day after the event, it “was just like a knife right in the back, adding salt to the wound.”“I feel like my certificate is completely ruined. I got it from this event, now, when I look at it, it’s associated with these negative memories, not with my accomplishment. I look at my certificate and I think about what was said,” Owczar told CBC News through an ASL interpreter on Sunday. Owczar’s daughter Stephanie Jebb, who is also deaf, said she was shocked by the minister’s comments, adding Fontaine’s facial expressions throughout the video communicated an “obvious lack of respect.” “She used such harsh, foul language. It was extreme,” Jebb said. “It really just tainted the entire experience.”“When you disrespect the interpreter, you disrespect the deaf community,” Owczar said. Fontaine’s critics now have good reason to say she has an anti-deafness phobia.The next day, Fontaine issued an apology, saying her comments were an expression of frustration over her “poor planning ensuring clear sight lines for all graduates,” ignoring that both women were facing the seated audience and that ASL translations are most effective when the speaker and signer are standing side-by-side. “I also sincerely apologize to the deaf community and to all Manitobans for my comments,” Fontaine said, adding she apologized directly to the interpreter, LaVallee. The Manitoba Progressive Conservative caucus has called for Fontaine to resign from her role as cabinet minister responsible for accessibility.“I was appalled; it was shameful,” said Jodie Byram, the PC critic for families and accessibility.“I do feel like she needs to resign. She is to advocate for individuals of the deaf community and she totally, it was quite obvious and apparent, just absolutely disrespected those in the deaf community.”In one of her two apologies, Fontaine said, “My comments did not acknowledge signing is not simply ‘hand movements,’ but a full and rich language used by thousands of Manitobans every day” and that she’s “heard clearly from deaf Manitobans and community members of the harm my comments caused.”She also said she’s committed to learning from the incident.If her commitment goes beyond learning to avoid hot mics, the first thing Fontaine should learn is that being the minister responsible for hardships affecting families, accessibility, and gender equity means not disparaging disabilities like deafness, regardless of the affected ethnic, racial, or gender group.Hymie Rubenstein is editor of REAL Indigenous Report, a retired professor of anthropology at the University of Manitoba, and a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
