An internationally renowned Inuit artist is accusing staff at the Canada Revenue Agency of racism, after he found racial comments on a memo contained in his government tax file.

Jonas Faber says the CRA staff prejudged him without even having met him in person.
(CBC)

Jonas Faber, a Greenland native who lives in Summerland, B.C., found the comments in a copy of his own CRA file, which he obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Faber requested his file because he couldn't understand why he was being audited, but when the file arrived it contained a bigger surprise.

A memo, written by an employee of the government tax agency, said Faber wasn't expected to meet his tax deadline because he was a native and an artist.

"As is typical of natives, he doesn't have the same sense of urgency as we would have in complying with a deadline," a CRA employee wrote in the memo. "I likened it to the 'manana' (maybe tomorrow) attitude that prevails in the South and Central American countries."

'As is typical of natives, he doesn't have the same sense of urgency as we would have in complying with a deadline.'— a CRA employee

"It is so dehumanizing to be attacked racially," Faber told CBC News on Friday.

The memo, dated "Nov 5/02" went on to say, "His artistic nature probably contributes to his lack of urgency."

"It's unbelievable that anyone would write that down and sign their name to it," Faber said.

"She wrote those notes down before she even met me. She had made up her mind who I was."

Later in the file, the same auditor concludes Faber was unlikely to have imbibed the considerable amounts of alcohol claimed as business expenses because of his heart condition.

Instead, the auditor surmises it's his wife who drinks. She writes about Faber's wife, speculating about drinking and weaning a newborn baby.

Faber wonders how the auditor could presume to know his wife's breastfeeding or drinking habits.

Canadian Human Rights Commission to investigate

This September, the Canadian Human Rights Commission agreed to open an investigation into Faber's complaint against the CRA, but said it can't comment on the case.

The Canada Revenue Agency was also not able to comment on Faber's complaint.

Faber immigrated to Canada from Greenland in 1974. His popular Inuit artwork is on display at the Vancouver International Airport, Ottawa's  Canadian Museum of Civilization and galleries around the world.

He now feels the government of his chosen country is racist, he said. 

"I am 63 years old and I'm crying on the phone, and that is how I feel."