Turpel-Lafond returns honorary degree granted by Simon Fraser University in B.C.
Officials at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., have accepted the return of an honorary degree awarded to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the former judge and law professor whose claims of Indigenous ancestry have been discredited.
A statement from SFU president Joy Johnson says Turpel-Lafond opted to return the 2016 award after the university told her it was under review.
Johnson says the school had received requests to review the degree in relation to “the importance of Indigenous identity and alleged false claims of Indigenous ancestry,” and its senate committee on university honours had decided to proceed.
She says the university gave Turpel-Lafond an opportunity to either relinquish the degree or “make representations on the issues at hand,” and she chose to return it.
A letter from the group Indigenous Women's Collective signed by retired Cree Senator Lillian Dyck, among others, says the university's decision allowed Turpel-Lafond to evade sanctions for what it describes as “falsely parading as an abused Indigenous woman who overcame enormous odds.”
Turpel-Lafond has already returned honorary degrees from Brock University and two Vancouver Island schools after they initiated reviews in response to concerns raised about her claims of Indigenous ancestry, while McGill University, Carleton University and the University of Regina have each rescinded awards granted to her.
The former B.C. representative for children and youth has said she is Cree on her father's side, and told The Canadian Press earlier this month that she's satisfied in her past work, identity and self-worth, and it's “liberating” to be freed of honours because it permits her to “focus on what really matters” in her life.
The Indigenous Women's Collective says Simon Fraser's acceptance of the degree's return without completing its review of Turpel-Lafond's claims sends a message that there is no justice for Indigenous people when someone steals from them.
“Indigenous identity fraud is colonial violence against Indigenous people and a slap on the wrist will do little to stop it from continuing to happen,” the letter says.
Johnson's statement released Thursday says Simon Fraser University acknowledges “the need to do more to better protect Indigenous students, staff and faculty ... from the impacts of fraudulent claims to Indigenous identity.”
A process is “well underway” to develop a procedure to determine Indigenous identity and ensure any benefits intended for Indigenous community members go to Indigenous people, she says, with recommendations expected later this year.
Turpel-Lafond was also appointed to the Order of Canada in 2021.
She previously told the CBC that while she was growing up she didn't question the biological parentage of her father, who she has said was Cree.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.