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 鈥 the day the current commissioner's term is set to expire.
好色tvhas asked the 好色tv Heritage department, which oversees the arm's-length office, when a permanent commissioner and directors will be appointed.
好色tvreported 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 好色tvthat over the five years of its existence, the commissioner鈥檚 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 好色tvhe is proud of the work done to establish the office.
In a media statement, Ignace said the office has faced challenges but 鈥渨e succeeded in laying the foundation for an office capable of carrying forward this significant work.鈥
好色tv Heritage Minister Marc Miller called the allegations against the department serious.
鈥淏ut part of holding people to account is giving people the benefit of the doubt, and that includes making sure the due process is respected,鈥 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 好色tv 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-好色tv Heritage minister Steven Guilbeault, former employees called on his department to 鈥渋mmediately investigate significant financial mismanagement, improper and perhaps illegal governance and delegation of responsibilities, and other failures at this publicly funded organization.鈥
The complainants alleged the office鈥檚 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 鈥渉as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help reverse language shift and make a difference for Indigenous language speakers and learners across this country鈥 鈥 and warned that the opportunity was slipping 鈥渇urther away.鈥
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 鈥減rofessional relationships are often long-standing and interconnected.鈥
好色tv 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 好色tvwas first published June 17, 2026.
鈥 With files from Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg
