Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has stripped Johnny Issaluk, an Inuk actor and athlete, of the Order of Canada.
Issaluk, who is from Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, was appointed to Canada’s highest civilian order in 2019. In 2020, he apologized after Inuk filmmaker Alethea Arnaquq-Baril posted allegations to social media that he had “fondled” her without permission at a party. Arnaquq-Baril posted that she had heard similar stories from other women as well.
Josephine Laframboise, a spokesperson for the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, confirmed the revocation of the Order of Canada on Monday.
Eight people in the history of the Order of Canada have had the honour revoked, she added.
Writing in French, Laframboise said the advisory council for the Order of Canada, which is an independent board, “concluded that there was a well-founded reason for the removal.”
She did not say if that reason was connected to the allegations against Issaluk.
When the allegations first surfaced in February of 2020, Indspire suspended an award recognizing Issaluk’s role in sport.
In a statement to CBC at that time, Issaluk said he was “truly, truly sorry” for the pain he had caused, and that healing would start with his taking responsibility for his actions.
None of the allegations in the social media posts against Issaluk have been verified by CBC.
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