One group is planning a peaceful protest on the University of Saskatchewan campus to demand investigations of staff and faculty who may misrepresent their Indigenous background at colleges across the country.
The group of matriarchs, clan mothers, aunts and allies will meet on campus on Friday to call for “transparent reviews and decisive action” to remove anyone from a role or position related to an unfounded claim of indigeneity.
“We call on universities in Canada and other institutions housing non-Indigenous employees to immediately, in accordance with CAUT’s 2017 Whistleblower Policy Statement, STOP silencing, isolating and exercising retaliation against whistleblowers of identity fraud, ”reads a press release from the group.
The protest comes after a CBC investigation of Carrie Bourassa, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and scientific director of the Indigenous Health branch of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
CBC discovered that there was no evidence that Bourassa was Indigenous, although she has claimed to be so many times over the past 20 years.
This week, Bourassa was placed on unpaid leave from the two institutions pending an investigation.
Bourassa was initially supported by the U of S and CIHR, who said her work had greatly benefited the health of communities across Canada.
She told CBC she hired a genealogist to help her investigate her ancestors two years ago, but so far she has provided no genealogical evidence to back up her claims.
The CBC investigation has sparked outrage from many Indigenous academics who fear the incident may cause community members to be wary of academic research.
Organizers of Friday’s protest invite Indigenous faculty, students, supporters and allies to gather at the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Center at noon.
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