Michelle Latimer resigns from Indigenous series after ancestry claims

Michelle Latimer, co-creator and director of the CBC series ‘Trickster’ has handed in her resignation after questions and concerns over her Indigenous ancestry.

In a Facebook post, Latimer says she is resigning from season two.

“I have listened to my community and feel that stepping away from the production is the appropriate course of action. I stand by who I am and by my family’s history, but I also understand what is being asked of me,” her Facebook post reads.

Questions around Latimer’s identity came into question when a news release from the National Film Board said she was of “Algonquin, Métis and French heritage, from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, Quebec.” At the time, those claims were not verified by members of the Kitigan Zibi community, which is 120 kilometres north of Ottawa. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation then began an investigation into her heritage.

“I now realize that I made a mistake in naming Kitigan Zibi as my family’s community before doing the work to formally verify this linkage,” Latimer said last Thursday.

Latimer isn’t the first person to resign from the Indigenous series due to her claims. Métis & Cree filmmaker Danis Goulet announced Friday she was also leaving her job as a consulting producer along with executive producer Tony Elliot.

“My involvement in TRICKSTER was with the understanding that I was working on a show that was co-led by Indigenous creatives. However, now that there is uncertainty about this, I feel a responsibility to uphold the values that I am dedicated to. Therefore, I resigned from TRICKSTER last week,” Goulet posted to Twitter.

Throughout my career, I have worked to support productions with Indigenous creatives in leadership roles. My involvement in TRICKSTER was with the understanding that I was working on a show that was co-led by Indigenous creatives.

— Danis Goulet (@danisgoulet) December 18, 2020