CBC served with libel notice over report
Aboriginal ancestry of show creator at issue
Michelle Latimer, the co-creator of the Indigenous CBC TV series Trickster, has served the public broadcaster with a notice for libel, after a controversy over her claimed ancestry.
In december, the CBC published an investigation into Latimer’s Indigenous ancestry.
Latimer had claimed to be of “Algonquin, Métis and French heritage, from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg (Maniwaki)” in Quebec.
but members of the Kitigan Zibi community questioned the claim and Latimer later issued an apology, saying that she had made a mistake and should have corroborated the link with more research.
An independent genealogist reconstructed Latimer’s genealogy, and said that while he found two Indigenous ancestors, most of the filmmaker’s ancestors were French-canadian, Irish and Scottish. Latimer later resigned from the second season of Trickster.
In an email to the National Post, the broadcaster confirmed it had received a notice of libel from Latimer’s lawyer. “We are reviewing it and will respond in due course,” said Chuck Thompson, head of public affairs at CBC.
Latimer said the libel notice concerns the reporting done by CBC news and is “unrelated to Trickster.”
“We have raised grave concerns about the fairness and accuracy of the Cbc’s newsgathering … I am attempting to resolve these issues in good faith,” said Latimer in a statement to the National Post.
“The CBC was aware of the questions and concerns I raised about the integrity of the research they used to inform their reporting, as well as the manner in which they approached the story, and yet, they reported inaccurately about my ancestry and created a false narrative about my character and my lineage.”
Trickster, which was lauded by critics, debuted on CBC in October 2020.
based on eden robinson’s best-selling novel Son of a Trickster, the show followed Jared, an Indigenous teen who encounters the supernatural — from talking ravens to doppelgängers — and struggles to support his family.
despite already being greenlit for a second season, the CBC abruptly announced on Friday that it was cancelling the show.
The CBC had decided to stop production following conversations with “producers, writers, actors and the author of the books” over the last few weeks, according to a statement from the broadcaster on Friday.
Thompson said that Latimer had not been included in these talks and that the decision to cancel Trickster was not unilateral.
“CBC is extremely proud we were able to bring this compelling story to the screen and are grateful to the many talented individuals who made it possible,” said the CBC.
Prior to its cancellation, two producers had resigned from the show after doubts were raised about Latimer’s claimed ancestry.