Gov. Gen. Mary Simon has stripped Johnny Issaluk, an Inuk actor and athlete, of the Order of Canada.
Issaluk, who’s 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 with out permission at a celebration. Arnaquq-Baril posted that she had heard comparable tales from different girls as properly.
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 folks within the historical past of the Order of Canada have had the honour revoked, she added.
Writing in French, Laframboise mentioned the advisory council for the Order of Canada, which is an impartial board, “concluded that there was a well-founded cause for the elimination.”
She didn’t say if that cause was linked to the allegations towards Issaluk.
When the allegations first surfaced in February of 2020, Indspire suspended an award recognizing Issaluk’s position in sport.
In an announcement to CBC at the moment, Issaluk mentioned he was “really, really sorry” for the ache he had triggered, and that therapeutic would begin along with his taking accountability for his actions.
None of the allegations within the social media posts towards Issaluk have been verified by CBC.