Carleton University is reviewing Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond’s honorary degree.
Turpel-Lafond has been the subject of recent controversy after a 2022 CBC investigation cast doubt on her self-identified Cree ancestry and academic accomplishments.
“The university is aware that concerns have been raised and will take the necessary time to evaluate, review and consult on the matter,” university media relations officer Steven Reid said in an email to the Charlatan.
Turpel-Lafond, who said her father is from the Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, received an honorary doctor of law degree from Carleton in 2019 “in recognition of her commitment to improving supports for Indigenous peoples and addressing the needs of children and youth involved in the justice system.”
Turpel-Lafond has been a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan—where her husband is from—as part of a kinship family for nearly 30 years, according to a statement from Muskeg Lake Chief Kelly Wolfe supporting Turpel-Lafond.
In a statement posted to her twitter in October, Turpel-Lafond said her father was Cree but was adopted by non-Indigenous parents. She added she does not intend on sharing personal documents confirming this statement with the media.
“I can only be accountable for confirming the qualifications that I provide to my employers and clients are correct,” the statement read.
WATCH: Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond receives honorary degree from Carleton University.
Carleton, Turpel-Lafond’s alma mater, is one of 11 universities that had granted her an honorary degree.
On Feb. 13, the University of Regina announced it had rescinded her honorary degree following requests from the Indigenous Women’s Collective for post-secondary institutions to revoke any honorary degrees they had awarded her.
“While the university recognizes that Turpel-Lafond has been a strong advocate for Indigenous rights and child welfare, her accomplishments are outweighed by the harm inflicted upon Indigenous academics, peoples and communities when non-Indigenous people misrepresent their Indigenous ancestry,” the University of Regina said in a statement.
Turpel-Lafond has also voluntarily returned honorary degrees to Vancouver Island University and Royal Roads University in recent weeks, according to the CBC.
Winona Wheeler, a member of the Indigenous Women’s Collective and an associate professor of Indigenous studies at the University of Saskatchewan, told the Charlatan universities should complete their own investigations and rescind Turpel-Lafond’s honorary degree if they deem necessary, rather than simply accept its return.
“We would like all universities to go through the process of investigation and, if they determine that she did fraudulently misrepresent herself, to follow due process and revoke the honorary doctorate,” she said.
Carleton’s honorary degree policy says that “in rare and exceptional circumstances,” the honorary degrees committee has the right to review and recommend the rescinding of an honorary degree.
Calls for action on Indigenous hiring
In a Feb. 16 interview with The Canadian Press, Sen. Mary Jane McCallum called for the Senate of Canada to study Indigenous identity fraud. Wheeler echoed these calls in an interview with the Charlatan, and called on universities to do the same.
“Indigenous students are looking for role models and there’s not that many of us out there,” Wheeler said. “It’s really important for us that there are protections in place.”
Carleton implemented an Indigenous-specific hiring policy in December 2021 to develop procedures to protect Indigenous-specific positions and address false claims to Indigenous identity.
The policy was led by Indigenous leadership at the university as well as Indigenous legal experts.
But the university has not given any public updates on the process since, despite calls from faculty and students, according to Zoe Todd, a professor in Simon Fraser University’s Indigenous Studies department who worked at Carleton until the 2022-2023 academic year.
https://twitter.com/ZoeSTodd/status/1600495853181239296
Todd supports the university’s commitment to consulting with Indigenous leaders, she said in an interview with the Charlatan. She added she hopes the university’s decision to review Turpel-Lafond’s honorary degree will lead to increased transparency regarding its Indigenous hiring policies.
“I feel hopeful that this signals a positive shift at [Carleton] to embrace transparency and ensure that we all can trust that any action taken with regard to this issue is being done with integrity, and with respect for Indigenous legal orders and Indigenous sovereignty,” she said.
Carleton’s senate is set to meet Feb. 24. A report from the university’s honorary degrees committee will be presented during the meeting’s closed session, but the university has not confirmed if Turpel-Lafond’s honorary degree will be discussed at that time.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
