Carrie Bourassa, professor at the University of Saskatchewan and Scientific Director of the Indigenous Health branch of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is on leave from both institutions following a weekend of outrage in line arising from CBC’s investigation into his allegations of indigeneity.
Bourassa, who ran an Indigenous research lab at U of S and CIHR’s Indigenous Peoples’ Health Institute, has publicly declared himself to be Métis, Anishnaabe and Tlingit.
CBC discovered that there was no evidence that she was Indigenous, despite her statements repeatedly over the past 20 years. When asked, Bourassa offered no genealogical evidence to support her claims, but in a statement she said two years ago that she had hired a genealogist to help her investigate her ancestors, and this work continues.
As recently as last week, following the publication of the CBC article, CIHR released a statement in favor of Bourassa, saying it “values the work of the Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health under the leadership by Dr. Carrie Bourassa ”. And the U of S also supported it, stating: “The quality of Professor Bourassa’s academic work speaks for itself and has greatly benefited the health of communities across Canada.
However, on Monday, the two institutions announced that Bourassa was on immediate leave.
“Today I spoke with Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health (CIHR-IIPH), and we agreed that she would step down from all of her duties as Director. scientist of the Institute ”, declared the President of CIHR. Michael Strong wrote. “As such, Dr. Bourassa will be on indefinite leave without pay as of now.
After initial statements of support from CIHR and the U of S, many took to social media to condemn the move, saying organizations should not support someone who has tampered with their own ancestry.
“I recognize the pain experienced by Indigenous peoples as a result of this matter, and I would like to underscore CIHR’s absolute commitment to reconciliation and the continued acceleration of Indigenous peoples’ self-determination in health research. “, Indicates Strong’s statement.
The university launches an investigation
U of S provost Airini announced that Bourassa had been placed on leave and that an investigation into his allegations of indigeneity had been launched.
“USask has put Dr Bourassa on leave and she is relieved of all her duties as a professor at USask College of Medicine’s Department of Community Health and Epidemiology,” the statement said. “Dr. Bourassa will not take over any faculty function during this investigation.
The university said it made the decision after new information emerged.
“The University of Saskatchewan has carefully reviewed information from interviews and Dr. Carrie Bourassa’s responses to recent articles challenging her Aboriginal identity,” the statement said. “The university is very concerned about the additional information revealed in Dr. Bourassa’s responses to the media and the harm this information may cause to Indigenous individuals and communities.
Bourassa declined to comment, saying Monday: “My public relations team will be in touch for any future conversations at that time.”
CIHR has not announced any immediate plans to fill Bourassa’s position.
“I will communicate a plan for the continued leadership of the Institute in the coming days,” Strong wrote in his statement.
The university says it will speed up its investigation process.
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