SFU accepts return of degree from Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

Prominent former judge and law professor Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond has returned an honorary doctorate of law to SFU, one of several degrees she has returned or had revoked amid questions regarding her claimed Indigenous heritage.

SFU president Joy Johnson said in a statement last week that the university had received a number of written requests asking that the university revoke Turpel-Lafond’s honorary degree.

Johnson said SFU had notified Turpel-Lafond that it was considering revocation, and presented her with two options: return the degree, or “make representations on the issues at hand”.

The university said Turpel-Lafond chose to return the degree.

The Indigenous Womens’ Collective, however, said that in allowing Turpel-Lafond to voluntarily return her degree, SFU had missed an opportunity “to denounce through its actions the colonial harm caused by Indigenous identity theft and the clear violation of academic integrity”.

The group said Turpel-Lafond was able to evade meaningful sanctions instead of being subject to a full investigation of her claims.

“Each honorary degree added to [Turpel-Lafond’s] earning power. She increased her wealth and gained powerful professional positions through deception and false claims to indigeneity,” the group wrote in a letter.

“SFU’s response to this matter in no way deters anyone from engaging in the same behaviours and does not send a positive signal to Indigenous faculty and staff at SFU.”

Johnson said the incident raised concerns about the importance of Indigenous identity, and the harms caused by those who falsely claim Indigenous heritage—and said SFU is working on a framework to avoid any instances in the future.

“SFU acknowledges the importance of Indigenous identity and the need to do more to better protect Indigenous students, staff and faculty and SFU from the impacts of fraudulent claims to Indigenous identity and ensure any benefits intended for Indigenous members go to Indigenous persons,” she wrote.

“Determining and honouring Indigenous identity is one way the university can move toward Reconciliation. Work on this procedure is well underway now—led by Indigenous people and in consultation with Indigenous communities—and will result in recommendations before the end of this year.”

Turpel-Lafond, who has had an extensive and decorated career in the legal field and as an advocate for childrens’ rights, has claimed to be Cree on her father’s side and said she was the first Treaty Indian to be appointed to the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan.

Those supposed accomplishments are mentioned in the honorary degree citation granted to her by SFU in 2016.

However, a CBC investigation in October 2022 found discrepancies between her claims of Indigenous heritage and her childhood, and publicly available documents such as yearbooks, voting records, and birth announcements.

A month later, CBC said it had obtained a copy of Turpel-Lafond’s birth certificate—and reported that that document listed her father, William Turpel, as the natural-born child of British parents and not an adopted Cree boy as she had claimed.

Carleton University, University of Regina, and McGill University all rescinded awards they had previously granted to Turpel-Lafond in the blowback after the CBC investigation. In December, UBC announced that Turpel-Lafond was no longer employed there.

Turpel-Lafond has also voluntarily returned degrees to Brock University, Vancouver Island University, and Royal Roads University.