Trudeau Foundation tried to silence sexual harassment allegation, woman claims in $1.25M lawsuit

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Article content

A woman has filed a $1.25 million lawsuit against the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, alleging that, while she was a scholarship student, she was sexually harassed by her mentor and the foundation then pressured her to sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep it quiet.

Cherry Smiley, 38, is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation in British Columbia and the Dine’ Nation. She received a scholarship to the foundation in 2016, when she was in the second year of her PhD program at Concordia University in Montreal. She alleges she was sexually harassed by her mentor, Stephen Kakfwi, the former premier of the Northwest Territories, and the foundation tried to get her to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

• Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
• Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.
• National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
• Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
• Support local journalism.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

• Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
• Unlimited online access to National Post and 15 news sites with one account.
• National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
• Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
• Support local journalism.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

• Access articles from across Canada with one account.
• Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
• Enjoy additional articles per month.
• Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Don't have an account? Create Account

If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, unlimited online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now

“They told her that it would be ‘bad for her’ if ‘this got out’ and that ‘Kakfwi could sue her’ and that the Foundation ‘could be accused of racism by Mr. Kakfwi,'” the lawsuit says. “They attempted to minimize the sexual harassment, telling her that it was just a ‘cultural misunderstanding.'”

The lawsuit is directed solely at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. It does not name Kakfwi as a defendant nor does it name as defendants the various members of the foundation with whom Smiley interacted over the course of 2018, 2019 and 2020.

None of the allegations have been proven in court, and no statement of defence has been filed by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. An emailed statement attributed to Dyane Adam, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, but sent by Frédérique Lorrain with TACT, a Montreal public relations firm that fields foundation media requests, said “The Foundation has a different interpretation of several facts alleged in the article published by Radio-Canada,” which first reported the lawsuit.

While named after his father, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not currently involved with the non-partisan charitable organization, although he was from the time it was created until 2014. His brother Alexandre Trudeau is currently a member representing the Pierre Trudeau Estate.

Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again