Phil Fontaine, former AFN National Chief, accused of sexually assaulting student: lawsuit

CTV News has learned former Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine is accused of sexually assaulting a student in the 1970s.

A former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Indigenous advocate has been accused of sexually assaulting a high school student in the 1970s, according to a lawsuit filed in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench.

The suit names Larry Phillip Fontaine as a defendant and alleged perpetrator who allegedly sexually assaulted the plaintiff during a school trip that he “arranged and led” in coordination with the Sagkeeng Education Authority.

“In or about 1970, when the plaintiff was a child, (Fontaine) used the position of power granted by the school authority to prey upon the plaintiff and sexually assault the plaintiff,” says the statement of claim filed on May 16.

The former student attended Sagkeeng Anicinabe High School, according to the suit, and no further details on the alleged school trip were provided. The Sagkeeng Education Authority is also listed as a co-defendant in the statement of claim.

“The school authority granted a position of power and authority to the perpetrator at the school, turning the perpetrator into a trusted authority figure to the plaintiff’s family, and the plaintiff, who was young, vulnerable and in need of guidance,” the suit says.

“The perpetrator was able to gain access to the plaintiff and was afforded an opportunity to foster a trusting relationship with the plaintiff and engage in the aforementioned behaviors for a considerable period of time.”

The suit claims that Fontaine was “acting in the course of his duties as an agent for the school authority” and that he was “able to take advantage of the plaintiff under the guise of conducting the activities as an agent.”

Fontaine instrumental in negotiating residential school settlement

Phil Fontaine, who is from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba and is a residential school survivor, became chief of the nation in 1973 for two consecutive terms before being elected Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs from 1991 to 1997.

He would go on to be elected as AFN National Chief from 1997 to 2000 and was re-elected from 2003 until 2009, serving an unprecedented three consecutive terms.

In 1990, Fontaine was one of the first survivors to speak publicly about the abuse he experienced while attending residential schools and he called for a public inquiry. Fontaine was instrumental in negotiating the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement in 2006, the largest class action settlement in Canadian history related to historic abuses at residential schools.

Fontaine was also part of a group that went to the Vatican in 2009 to request an apology from the Catholic Church for its role in the residential school system, though that apology wouldn’t come until years later. In 2022, he made another trip to the Vatican with an Indigenous delegation to witness an apology from Pope Francis.

Education authority calls for suit to be dismissed

The lawsuit claims Sagkeeng Education Authority is liable for Fontaine’s actions and owed a duty of care to protect the then-student from “wrongdoings of a sexual nature.”

The former student alleges that because of the behaviours, they have suffered addiction, guilt, humiliation, nightmares, “difficulty in establishing relationships of intimacy” and was required to undergo medical treatment and counselling. They also dropped out of school as a result, the suit says.

“The school authority oversaw the activities of the school including the planning, organization and supervision of school-related trips,” the suit says. “Therefore, it had the power and resources to inspect, check, question, and the duty to oversee all activities in a way that could have prevented the sexual assault from happening.”

The lawsuit also claims that the school authority failed to screen, supervise and discipline Fontaine and that it failed to take steps to limit or remove his ability to be alone with the former student.

However, the Sagkeeng Education Authority denies that Fontaine was ever an “employee, servant or agent” of the education authority, stating he was chief in 1973 according to its statement of defence filed on July 8.

It is calling for the suit to be dismissed.

“At all material times, (Sagkeeng Education Authority) operated in full accordance with all expected and applicable standards, procedures, regulations and statutory authority and denies any breach thereof,” says the statement of defence.

A spokesperson for the education authority said they cannot comment on matters before the courts.

The suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages, including special damages, punitive damages and aggravated damages.

Manitoba RCMP said it did not conduct an investigation related to these allegations.

CTV News has reached out to Fontaine for comment multiple times and did not hear back by a given deadline.

The statement of claim is among dozens of lawsuits against school divisions and boards over alleged sexual assaults that CTV News reported on last week.

Fontaine was a recipient of the Order of Manitoba in 2004 and the Order of Canada in 2012.

Fontaine has not yet filed a statement of defence and none of the claims have been tested in court.

-With files from The Canadian Press

EDITOR’S NOTE: The lawsuit against Larry Phillip Fontaine and the Sagkeeng Education Authority was discontinued in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench on Nov. 12, 2025.