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Cases of Indigenous Identity Fraud in Ontario Universities are Growing

  • Alethea Yujuico
  • Nov 10, 2021
  • 2 min read

Universities in Ontario have been dealing with cases of faculty members being accused of claiming false indigenous identity, concerning many indigenous students and fellow staff.


An assistant professor at the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies, Veldon Coburn, says that many people in different professions, especially in academic professions, have been identifying themselves as part of Indigenous groups.


A recent example follows Carrie Bourassa, an Indigenous health studies professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Bourassa was put on leave after allegations, by CBC news, that she is not part of the Anishinaabe Métis community like she claims.



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After conducting an investigation into Bourassa's genetic roots, CBC has stated:

"[we have] traced all of her ancestry lines back to Europe. CBC was unable to locate any Indigenous ancestor."

The results of the investigation shocked colleagues from the University of Saskatchewan who have worked closely with Bourassa, and acknowledged the work she contributed towards indigenous community research for the school.


Bourassa was even named one of Canada’s most powerful women in 2021, by a Toronto female-advocacy group called 'WXN', and celebrated by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health.


Bourassa has directed all interviews and reports to her public relations team and has yet to provide evidence of her Métis roots.


Another example is seen at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., where an anonymous report was released online, providing documents accusing at least six faculty members of falsely claiming to be Indigenous.



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The report is 53 pages long and was posted on social media by an unknown source. No further investigations have been made and the school has rejected the documents.


Mark Erdman, a representative of Queen’s University says:

"We reject the anonymous document in question, which is misleading and contains factual inaccuracies including some genealogical information of individuals named in the document.”

The number of cases in Canadian universities targeting 'indigenous' staff members, has shed light on a growing issue of Indigenous identity fraud. This leads to the rise of topics towards stricter hiring measures for Indigenous faculty, those meant to represent the culture and pride of Indigenous peoples on campus. Schools have yet to address and propose preventative solutions for this ongoing issue.


Want to take action?


Learn more about Indigenous identity fraud and how it can impact Indigenous communities.

https://www.aptnnews.ca/nation-to-nation/the-harmful-cynical-and-self-serving-nature-of-indigenous-identity-fraud/


An Indigenous Identity Act is being proposed to create stricter regulations on who can claim Indigenous identity. Read more about it here:


END NON-INDIGENOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF INDIGENOUS IDENTITY


Resources:


https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/06/15/allegations-playing-being-indigenous-queens-u


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/queens-university-anonymous-report-indigenous-allegations-1.6063274





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