Indigenous Women's Group Call for Revocation of Turpel-Lafond's Honorary Degrees
The Indigenous Women’s Collective (IWC) in Canada requested certain universities to revoke honorary degrees granted to high-profile academic and former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. Universities say they are considering this request.
The IWC group, which includes Lillian Dyck, the first woman of First Nations ancestry to serve in Canada’s Senate, issued the call to about a dozen universities that have bestowed the honors on Turpel-Lafond.
For decades Turpel-Lafond, who has claimed to be a treaty Indian of Cree ancestry. Three weeks ago, CBC published a story about on their CBC Investigation and found that her claims did not match publicly available records.
According to CBC, Turpel-Lafond Hhas not offered any evidence that she is in fact a treaty Indian or that she has Cree ancestry since the publication, not has Turpel-Lafond contradicted any fact outlined in CBC’s investigation.
In a statement released Oct. 14, she said she believes her dad was adopted from a Cree family in Norway House, Man. by her non-Indigenous grandparents. She also said “I have never been awarded a position on an affirmative action basis.”
The Indigenous Women’s Collective group is made up of Indigenous women from a wide range of backgrounds., They are calling on all Canadian universities that have granted her honorary doctorates to revoke them.
IWC group was formed after the story published. TIWG says Turpel-Lafond’s illustrious career was “inextricably linked and founded upon a story of Indigenous identity, marginalization and historic trauma; a story Ms. Turpel-Lafond refuses to verify.”
“Granting an honorary doctorate to a pretendian [pretend Indian] advances the colonial notion that a Caucasian person impersonating Indigeneity is a worthy and suitable candidate,” the statement says. “It also applauds the stolen valor of Indigenous women who have struggled for their achievements and become champions and voices for their people.”
According to Turpel-Lafond’s CV and a search of publicly available records, she has been granted honorary degrees (LL.D.) from 12 universities, including First Nations University of Canada, the University of Regina, Mount Saint Vincent University, Thompson Rivers University, Brock University, Vancouver Island University, Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, McGill University, Simon Fraser University, St. Thomas University, Royal Roads University and Carleton University.
CBC was told by the First Nations University of Canada they have never granted any honorary degrees in its 46-year history.
“Any mention of receiving an honorary degree or award from FNUniv is erroneous,” the statement said.
“McGill University has been made aware of concerns associated with the 2014 granting of an honorary degree (LL.D.) to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. The University is carefully reviewing and will be deciding upon the matter in accordance with its policies and processes,” said McGill University.
“The university is aware that concerns have been raised and will take the necessary time to evaluate, review and consult on the matter,” said Carleton University.
Simon Fraser University, the University of Regina, Royal Roads University, Brock University, York University, St. Thomas University, Mount Saint Vincent University, Vancouver Island University and Thompson Rivers University all issued statements on Turpel-Lafond.
Dyck, who worked as a professor in the University of Saskatchewan’s neuropsychiatry research unit is one of the women speaking on behalf of the collective. “And the way that universities can sanction is to take away an honorary degree.”
Dyck said she understands the fear that can come with acting against such a prominent person, and feels it herself even though she’s a retired senator who was just recently awarded the Order of Canada.
Dyck told CBC she can’t let this go because it appears that Turpel-Lafond has built a career claiming to be something she’s not.
“She herself is not willing to show any proof that she is actually Indigenous, and I think the balance of probabilities certainly does show that she’s not Indigenous — she’s [of] European ancestry,” said Dyck.
“What she did wasn’t right.… She has not behaved honorably. So should she have that honorary degree? No.”
Dyck said the rest of the country will be watching these universities and they have serious soul searching to do as they consider their responses.
Dyck said universities are “considered the bastions of high academic standards and ethics and integrity and fairness and justice and so on.”
But, Dyck said, if they do nothing, “it makes that honorary degree look less than it should.”
Reader Comments(0)