First Nations leaders in Manitoba are seeking accountability after they say a 75-year-old elder was harassed and accused of stealing by two men at a Winnipeg Walmart store. 

Elder Mary Laquette, who is from Lake St. Martin First Nation, said the men swore at her, took items from her, accused her of stealing and ordered her to leave the store. 

“It’s not right for somebody to treat me like that, when I wasn’t even thinking of stealing,” said Laquette, who has mobility challenges and uses a walker.

She uses the walker to store the items she intends on buying while grocery shopping. 

In a video taken by a bystander, Laquette is seen using a walker inside the grocery section of the Walmart and one of the two men attempts to block her at one point. 

A separate video taken by the bystander shows her independently confronting one of the men, asking him why he was bothering Laquette.

He is shown replying “It’s my job.”

The two men shown in the video do not appear to be wearing private security or Walmart staff uniforms. Walmart would not confirm whether the men worked at the store in either capacity. 

A Walmart Canada spokesperson said in a statement to CBC News on Wednesday that the company is looking into the incident. 

“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,” said communications manager Felicia Fefer.

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson says this incident is part of a wider pattern of Indigenous people being mistreated in retail and hospitality environments.

“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 during a press conference in Winnipeg on Tuesday.

“We don’t have to do anything but walk into a store and we’re targeted.”

Last week, a 16-year-old boy from Pimicikamak Cree Nation said staff at a Winnipeg hotel forced him out of his room while he was recovering from leg surgery and waiting for his stay to be extended. Canad Inns, the chain that owns the hotel, said one of its employees no longer works there as a result and the family received a formal apology. 

About two weeks before that incident, a security guard was recorded punching and threatening an alleged shoplifter lying on the ground at a downtown Winnipeg Dollarama store. First Nations leaders say the man on the ground is Indigenous. 

Police say the security guard used brass knuckles — a prohibited weapon — during the incident. He was charged with assault with a weapon, unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, according to police. 

Wilson said elders should never have to experience harassment or disrespect. 

“Our Elders, they deserve dignity and respect every single time that they walk into any store or establishment, they deserve that respect. All people deserve respect and dignity while entering any store or establishment,” Wilson said.

“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,” she said.

Elder Laquette’s son Claude-André Larocque said he wants 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.”