B.C. committee recommends honorary degree given to principal of former residential school be rescinded

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A sub-committee formed by the University of British Columbia has recommended the honorary degree granted to a former principal of a residential school where unmarked graves were detected last year be rescinded.

Details on the review were released Tuesday, nearly a year after a review was launched into what role Bishop John O'Grady played at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. The review began in 2021 shortly after Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc announced the detection of more than 200 unmarked graves at the site of the former school. 

"Understandably, there have been many calls from both within the university and from the broader community for this honorary degree to be rescinded," a statement from the university said.

"Based on its deliberations and consultations, the sub-committee recommends that the senate rescind its approval of the honorary degree awarded to the late John Fergus O’Grady, as well as conducting a historic reflection on its role in the subjugation of Indigenous people and communities, in addition to several other recommendations."

The honorary doctors of law degree was granted to O'Grady in 1986, while he was the Catholic bishop of Prince George. A statement in UBC's online archives said O'Grady was granted the degree for his efforts "to make education more accessible to local communities in the Interior and to do so in a way which would bring the native and white communities closer together." The statement also said O'Grady "appreciated the role of education in the lives of people of this province." 

In its report, the committee said it made its recommendations using a "balance of probabilities" standard of proof.

"O'Grady was principal at the Kamloops Indian Residential School for 13 years from 1939-1952, during the time it held Canada’s highest residential school population," the committee's report said.

A review of O'Grady's legacy said at least six pupil deaths were recorded between 1945 and 1950, which is when he was principal.

"Five of the six of these recorded deaths were blamed on disease, and one from a lack of due care and supervision signed off on by O’Grady himself," findings shared to the committee by Alyssa Leier, curator of the Prince George Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre, said.

"As for the other five, it is documented by staff working at Kamloops Indian Residential School that due to overcrowding, it was impossible to isolate the sick children from the healthy ones, leaving many healthy children to get sick during their time there."

The sub-committee said it considered whether it was possible that O'Grady did not know about the deaths of students while he was principal. The committee concluded, however, "that it is more likely than not that O’Grady was aware of the deaths of some of those children and failed in his duty to protect them or to treat their deaths with dignity as the chief administrator of the residential school."

As a result, the committee recommended the approval of an honorary degree for O'Grady be rescinded by UBC's senate.

"The sub-committee makes this recommendation both in reflection of O'Grady's administration of this residential school, but also as a statement of UBC's complicity in overlooking the systemic injustices that were occurring over that period of time with respect to Indigenous children," the committee's report said.

Now, the public is welcome to review the report and make recommendations by emailing [e-mail] until June 24. After that, the senate will make its decision on those recommendations.

If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.

Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.