Indigenous Leaders Demand Apology After Elder Alleges Harassment at Winnipeg Walmart

Mary Laquette, a 75-year-old elder from Lake St. Martin First Nation, was grocery shopping at a Winnipeg Walmart when two men approached her, swore at her, took items from her, accused her of stealing, and ordered her to leave the store. She was using a walker, which she uses to hold groceries while she shops.

Bystander video capturing the encounter spread widely and spurred the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to demand a formal apology and full accountability from Walmart Canada. In one clip, Laquette is seen in the grocery section as one of the two men attempts to block her path. In a separate video, she confronts one of the men directly, asking why he was bothering her. He replies: "It's my job." Neither man appeared to be wearing a private security or Walmart staff uniform, and Walmart Canada would not confirm whether they worked at the store in any capacity.

Laquette spoke plainly about what happened to her. "It's not right for somebody to treat me like that, when I wasn't even thinking of stealing," she said. She also issued a broader warning: "If this continues to happen, people will be held accountable, retail stores and establishments will be held accountable. It doesn't matter where it is, our people deserve respect and you will start treating our people with respect."

Her son, Claude-André Larocque, attended a press conference in Winnipeg alongside his mother and called for Walmart to apologize. "My mom had a right to access a grocery store, to buy her food without being unfairly degraded, targeted and profiled. She had a right to do that," he said. "It's just very unfair treatment to somebody who is 75 years old."

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson framed the incident as part of a documented pattern, not an isolated event. "As First Nations people, what we deal with every single day is we walk into a store and we're profiled, there's the suspicion of theft," Wilson said at the Winnipeg press conference. "We don't have to do anything but walk into a store and we're targeted."

Walmart Canada communications manager Felicia Fefer said the company is looking into what happened. "We care deeply about our customers and the quality of their shopping experience with us. Respect is a core value at Walmart Canada and we take matters of this nature very seriously," Fefer said. The company has not confirmed the identity or employment status of the two men shown in the video, and has not indicated whether any internal disciplinary action has been taken.

APTN National News first reported the elder's account on March 13, 2026. As of the press conference this week, Walmart had not issued a formal apology to Laquette or her family.