A top adviser to New Brunswick's systemic racism commissioner announced his resignation on Tuesday, just as a group of Indigenous leaders withdrew from the controversial commission.

Robert Tay-Burroughs, senior advisor to commissioner Manju Varma, published his resignation letter on Twitter, saying he felt “troubled these last few weeks by the false pretences under which we are expected to do our work.”

He also said “it remains unclear” whether the provincial government can respect the commissioner’s independence or intends to accept her recommendations in good faith.

Indigenous groups have criticized the Tory-appointed commission, calling instead for a public inquiry, which would have the power to compel the government to produce information.

“We were skeptical of the process, we'd asked for an inquiry into the justice system in New Brunswick from the get-go,” said Chief George Ginnish of Natoaganeg, or Eel Ground First Nation.

He's co-chair of Mi'gmawe'l Tplu'taqnn Inc., or MTI, an organization representing nine Mi'kmaq communities in New Brunswick, that announced this week they would no longer participate in the commission.

Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Arlene Dunn downplayed the level of division between Indigenous communities and the province this week.

"There is a lot of discussions going on with First Nations in the province right now related to our new partnership, most of which is actually not out there for public fodder, and for good reason, because we are in negotiations," she told reporters during a virtual scrum.

"But I wouldn't say that the relationship is getting worse, I would actually say that it's getting better."

She also denied allegations from MTI that the provincial government had suppressed a mid-term report from the commission, in which Varma called for an immediate public inquiry. The report, produced in April, was never publicly released by the commission, but MTI provided a copy to journalists this week.