A progressive lawyer known for proudly touting an indigenous heritage has been accused of lying about her background.
Canadian lawyer Promise Holmes Skinner was called out by the activist Crystal Semaganis, who filed a complaint with the Law Society of Ontario last Wednesday.
Holmes Skinner's public LinkedIn profile stated that she was an 'Anishinaabe-Scandinavian lawyer' whose work focuses on 'indigenous legal traditions'.
Semaganis, who leads the Ghost Warrior Society, a grassroots organization that seeks to expose people falsely claiming indigenous heritage, alleged that Holmes Skinner has 'no First Nations, Inuit, Métis bloodline to speak of' in her complaint, which was viewed Friday by the Daily Mail.
In response, Holmes Skinner acknowledged to Global News that she did not have documentary proof of indigenous ancestry.
However, she claimed to have a 'cherished understanding that my grandmother was Anishinaabe' from Cape Croker First Nation in Ontario.
'However, without documentary evidence to verify that, I have learned culture in other ways,' she told the outlet.
The complaint filed by Semaganis asked for disciplinary action to be taken against Holmes Skinner 'in which she acknowledges the harm she has inflicted.'
Canadian lawyer Promise Holmes Skinner, who has described herself as Anishinaabe-Scandinavian, has been accused of lying about her indigenous background
Canadian activist Crystal Semaganis filed a complaint last Wednesday with the Law Society of Ontario against Holmes Skinner, claiming she was not being truthful about her background
Semaganis alleged Holmes Skinner had 'no First Nations, Inuit, Métis bloodline to speak of' in the complaint, which was viewed by the Daily Mail on Friday
Holmes Skinner said she had been 'transparent about not being a rights-bearing individual.'
She added that she had not taken any benefits or positions reserved for indigenous people.
Holmes Skinner told the outlet that her 'legal education and practice are about contributing skills, not taking space I am not invited to take.'
Her lawyer, Andrea Gonsalves, pushed back on the notion that 'indigenous identity can validly exist only through proven blood connections to a rights-bearing community.'
Gonsalves said that 'anyone can put anything in a complaint,' adding that 'the fact of making the complaint doesn't say anything about its merit.'
Amy Lewis, a spokesperson for the Law Society of Ontario, said the group considers 'the potential risk to the public, the public's confidence in the legal professions and the Law Society, and the administration of justice' whenever a complaint is made.
However, Lewis told the outlet that the law society would not comment on complaints or investigations until they were complete.
Holmes Skinner said she did not have documentary proof of indigenous ancestry but claimed to have 'learned culture in other ways'
Holmes Skinner describes herself an 'Anishinaabe-Scandinavian lawyer' on her public LinkedIn profile (Stock image of Anishinaabe tribe)
When filing the complaint, Semaganis also requested that the Law Society of Ontario apologize for allegedly allowing a member to take roles intended for First Nations, Inuit and Métis lawyers.
She asked the group to 'formulate and implement' a First Nations, Inuit and Métis authentication policy that would 'go beyond simple declarations of self-identification.'
Holmes Skinner has worked for her eponymous private law practice since 2023, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She focuses on 'matters where Indigenous legal traditions and cultural principles intersect with Canadian law and policy.'
Holmes Skinner has also been an adjunct law professor at the University of Toronto since 2019, having previously graduated from the school's Faculty of Law.
The University of Toronto refused to explain how it had verified Holmes Skinner's indigenous background when asked by Global News last month, citing privacy reasons.
After that, the school removed a page from its website describing its verification process, according to the outlet.
Instead, Holmes Skinner claimed to have a 'cherished understanding that my grandmother was Anishinaabe' from Cape Croker First Nation in Ontario
On Tuesday, the University of Toronto announced that it had launched an 'indigenous substantiation process' with immediate effect.
Going forward, the university will require formal evidence including a certificate of Indian status and written confirmation of membership from a Canadian rights-bearing nation.
However, the university also said it would support students 'impacted by colonialism that led to disconnection from their communities' by giving them the option to substantiate their indigenous membership with a personal declaration.
A student's declaration must explain their 'lived experience, kinship, and connection to a rights-bearing Nation that claims them' and come with family documentation or certified genealogical evidence.
However, this verification will not be applied retroactively.
The school said it would be 'initiated for current faculty members who identify as indigenous when they engage with new opportunities, such as promotions, research funding competitions and awards.'
Semaganis is being sued in the Supreme Court of Yukon by four women that she claimed did not have indigenous backgrounds, according to CBC.
The women alleged that Semaganis's research was 'insufficient' and 'improper,' and are seeking public retractions.
The Daily Mail reached out to Holmes Skinner, her lawyer Gonsalves, the Law Society of Ontario and the University of Toronto for further comment.
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