Candice St-Aubin named interim commissioner of Indigenous languages

OTTAWA — A senior federal bureaucrat has been named the interim commissioner of Indigenous languages.

Candice St-Aubin, a senior assistant deputy minister of strategic policy with Indigenous Services Canada, will serve in the role for 90 days or until a new commissioner is named.

The federal order announcing the appointment says it will be effective as of July 13 — the day the current commissioner’s term is set to expire.

The Canadian Press has asked the Canadian Heritage department, which oversees the arm’s-length office, when a permanent commissioner and directors will be appointed.

The Canadian Press reported last month an audit is being conducted on the office tasked with helping to preserve at-risk Indigenous languages.

Half a dozen sources, including former employees, told The Canadian Press that over the five years of its existence, the commissioner’s office has failed to move the needle on strengthening Indigenous languages and supporting research.

Instead, they say, the office has focused on extensive travel and hosting one big conference in Ottawa that cost $10 million. They also allege a toxic work environment, bullying, uncompleted projects and staff quitting in frustration.

The sources spoke on the condition they not be named due to fear of reprisals.

Ronald Ignace, who remains commissioner until St-Aubin takes over, previously told The Canadian Press he is proud of the work done to establish the office.

In a media statement, Ignace said the office has faced challenges but “we succeeded in laying the foundation for an office capable of carrying forward this significant work.”

Canadian Heritage Minister Marc Miller called the allegations against the department serious.

“But part of holding people to account is giving people the benefit of the doubt, and that includes making sure the due process is respected,” he said earlier in June.

The office is also undergoing a mandatory five-year review which includes the Indigenous Languages Act.

Miller said earlier this month he wouldn’t speculate on potential changes to the office’s governance structure or mandate.

Documents show Canadian Heritage was aware of internal strife at the Indigenous languages office for months before it launched a financial audit of the organization.

In an April 2025 letter to then-Canadian Heritage minister Steven Guilbeault, former employees called on his department to “immediately investigate significant financial mismanagement, improper and perhaps illegal governance and delegation of responsibilities, and other failures at this publicly funded organization.”

The complainants alleged the office’s directors were paying above market rates to their friends for contracts and spending excessive sums on travel and conferences. They also allege the office was rife with bullying and harassment.

They wrote the office “has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help reverse language shift and make a difference for Indigenous language speakers and learners across this country” — and warned that the opportunity was slipping “further away.”

In response to the claim that the office was outsourcing contracts to friends of officials, the office said expertise in the field of preserving Indigenous languages is limited and that “professional relationships are often long-standing and interconnected.”

Canadian Heritage has not said when the probe will be completed but says a summary of findings will be posted on the commissioner’s website.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2026.

— With files from Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press