Current Problems: Education (6-12)
Exploring Theme: "Indigenous Identity"
Updates on this page: 26
(Filtered by Indigenous Group "Métis")
December 5, 2024
Former cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault tells committee: ‘I am not Indigenous’
Edmonton MP resigned from cabinet last month CBC News: The Canadian Press– Randy Boissonnault, whose shifting claims to Indigenous identity cost him his job as employment minister, told a House of Commons committee today that he is not Indigenous. Boissonnault was called to testify at the Indigenous and northern affairs committee after a series of...
November 20, 2024
Liberal minister Randy Boissonnault stepping away from cabinet to clear his name over false claims of Indigenous background
Boissonnault allegedly wrongly claimed to be Indigenous. A company in which he was a co-owner also wrongly claimed it was Indigenous-owned. The Toronto Star: OTTAWA—Embattled Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault is out of cabinet in order to try to clear his name. In a brief statement issued by his office Wednesday before question period, Prime...
November 15, 2024
Boissonnault apologizes for shifting statements about family’s Indigeneity
Employment minister told reporters he is ‘learning about his family in real time’ Employment minister apologizes for shifting claims on family’s Cree heritageL 4 days ago, Duration 1:52 Federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault has apologized for misleading statements about his family’s Indigenous heritage after a newspaper report found Boissonnault’s former company, that claimed to be Indigenous-owned...
November 15, 2024
Boissonnault faces new scrutiny over his statements on family’s Indigeneity
Employment minister says he’s not Indigenous — experts say past statements appear contradictory CBC Indigenous: Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault is set to face a new round of questions over his business dealings and family history at a parliamentary committee in the wake of a report that his former company claimed to be “Indigenous owned” when...
November 14, 2024
Chair of Liberal Indigenous caucus says identity ‘complicated’ as members questioned
Mi’kmaq MP Jaime Battiste outside the House of Commons at the treaty commissioner legislation launch on October 10, 2024. Photo: Mark Blackburn/APTN. APTN News: The Canada Press – The chair of the Liberal party’s Indigenous caucus says Indigenous identity is “complicated” after questions have been raised about the claims of two Liberal MPs who currently...
October 30, 2024
60s Scoop survivors say cases of ‘pretendians’ make reconnecting with community even harder
Impact of Indigenous identity fraud goes beyond headlines Savannah Ridley is one of three recipients of the 2024 CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowships, established to encourage Indigenous voices and better understanding of Indigenous issues in Canada’s major media and community outlets. CBC Indigenous: As a kid, Raven Reid knew all the tiny places she could squeeze into surrounding her...
October 7, 2024
Self-identifying Indigenous group got $74-million in federal cash, Inuit leader wants change
Globe and Mail: As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk. Natan Obed, president of an organization representing about 70,000 Inuit across Canada,...
July 8, 2024
‘Growing tension’ inside the public service over Indigenous self-identification
Indigenous Services Canada’s top bureaucrat addresses topic in leaked blog to staff CBC Indigenous: Indigenous Services Canada’s top official addressed the “contentious issue” of Indigenous identity in the public service by urging greater honesty in self-identification, in a recent internal blog leaked to CBC Indigenous. “The key is to honestly tell your truth,” wrote deputy minister...
June 18, 2024
Canada must act to end the pretendian problem
NationTalk: Policy Options – Britain and Canada shaped the definition of Indigenous identity and now some people use shifting definitions to assume it, to great benefit. When the French and the British started staking their land claims on Turtle Island, they also began what became a centuries-long, surreptitious and destructive practice of interfering with Indigenous...
May 15, 2024
Indigenous leaders adopt declaration condemning identity theft
Delegates also adopt resolution denouncing disputed Inuit identity claims of NunatuKavut in Labrador CBC Indigenous: First Nations, Inuit and Red River Métis leaders unanimously adopted what they’re calling a historic declaration condemning Indigenous identity theft Wednesday afternoon in Winnipeg. Delegates from Ontario First Nations, northern Labrador Inuit and Manitoba Métis carried the resolution by consensus, capping the two-day Indigenous...
May 14, 2024
Graphic novel draws the ire of Manitoba Métis Federation, Métis National Council
APTN News: A graphic novel published by a group called the Métis Nation of Canada (MNOC) is making the Manitoba Métis Federation and the Métis National Council unlikely allies. Both are claiming the novel, Rocking Spurs The Anti-Bullying Tour, is cultural appropriation by a group that doesn’t truly exist. “There is no such thing as Eastern...
May 14, 2024
‘Where did you suffer?’ Conference kicks off in Winnipeg on Pretendians
APTN New: A video highlighting infamous “pretendians” plays just as delegates enter the Indigenous Identity Fraud Summit in Winnipeg hosted by the Manitoba Métis Federation, or MMF and the Chiefs of Ontario. “Because these people are after our rights, they’re after our resources and they’re after an opportunity to take from us what we have...
April 11, 2024
Identity summit brings leaders together to discuss rampant Indigenous identity theft
NationTalk: Toronto, ON – The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), the National Government of the Red River Métis, and the Chiefs of Ontario (COO), are pleased to announce an Identity Summit aimed at tackling rampant identity theft faced by many Indigenous Nations in Canada today. Co-hosted by both MMF and COO, the summit will take place...
November 23, 2023
Self-proclaimed Métis group sparks debate with shop opening in Ottawa
Critics accuse Métis Nation of Canada of engaging in identity theft, cultural appropriation CBC Indigenous: Inside “The Métis Place,” not far from the food court in an east Ottawa mall, you’ll find a floor-to-ceiling exhibit of tanned pelts, fringed buckskin moccasins and woven birch-bark baskets, just past a rack of orange Every Child Matters shirts....
October 2, 2023
Bill C-53 Rewards Indigenous Identity Theft – Statement by Minister Will Goodon
NationTalk: Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis – In recent years, the Canadian public has become increasingly aware of the problem of Indigenous identity theft. At the individual level, this occurs when individuals falsely claim Indigenous identity to advance their careers and benefits. Indigenous identity theft can also occur at...
August 10, 2023
‘Pretendian’ conference delves into how to deal with false claims of Indigenous identity
APTN News: More than 30 people attended a conference in Tsuut’ina, just outside of Calgary, to talk about the issues of people falsely claiming Indigenous identity. They have come to colloquially be called “Pretendians. ”Participants came from as far as Halifax to hear about how to deal with increasing false claims of Indigenous identity.“ You...
August 1, 2023
Manitoba’s political parties not doing enough to verify Indigenous identity: Métis lawyer
Jean Teillet says vetting processes not detailed, or no verification exists for 3 main political parties CBC News: Manitoba’s political parties are not doing enough to make sure candidates’ claims to Indigeneity are legitimate, says Jean Teillet, a lawyer and great-grandniece of Métis leader Louis Riel. CBC News asked all three of Manitoba’s provincial parties with a seat...
March 9, 2023
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond speaks out after award revoked over heritage
The Globe and Mail – Canadian Press: Former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says she’s satisfied in her “past work, identity and self-worth,” after the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association revoked an award because its board members believed she falsified her claims of Indigenous identity. In her most expansive recent remarks since a CBC investigation last...
March 3, 2023
University of Saskatchewan launches website aimed at rooting out Indigenous identity fraud
Indigenous communities will determine what constitutes proof of Indigenous identity CBC News: The University of Saskatchewan has launched a website it hopes will help ensure that only genuine Indigenous people will benefit from jobs and funding set aside for them. The site is a portal, enabling First Nations, Métis, Inuit and international Indigenous peoples applying for Indigenous-specific...
March 1, 2023
Métis Nation of Ontario votes to boot members with incomplete files
Of 8,270 members who cast ballots, 5,898 voted in favour of removal CBC: The Métis Nation of Ontario has voted to boot 5,400 members whose files lack hard evidence of a Métis connection. The MNO announced the results of a province-wide plebiscite in a news release on Wednesday, saying a clear majority voted to remove members with...
February 27, 2023
Métis Nation of Ontario’s future at stake as members vote on fate of thousands
Nearly 1 in 4 members had no evidence of ties to Métis ancestor in 2021 report CBC News: The fate of thousands of Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) members with no documented link to a Métis ancestor hangs in the balance as the organization votes this week in a province-wide plebiscite. The vote comes following years...
February 16, 2023
Senator says more awareness needed of ‘invisible crime’ of Indigenous identity theft
The Globe and Mail (Canadian Press) – Sen. Mary Jane McCallum says Indigenous identity fraud is a damaging but often unseen crime that inflicts serious harm on Indigenous women. The Cree woman from Manitoba is calling for a Senate committee to study the phenomenon and the damage it causes. “People don’t really look at identity...
January 18, 2023
UBC regrets its handling of Turpel-Lafond ancestry concerns
Gitxaała professor says UBC’s initial response left Indigenous people ‘feeling left out to dry’ CBC News: The University of British Columbia says it regrets its handling of the case of high-profile former professor Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, who was the subject of a CBC investigation about her claims of Indigenous heritage. Turpel-Lafond was a professor at UBC and academic...
January 3, 2023
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond no longer employed by UBC
University won’t say why she is gone CBC News: High-profile professor and former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is no longer employed at the University of British Columbia (UBC), according to an official with the institution. The university says that as of Dec.16, Turpel-Lafond is no longer a professor in the Peter A. Allard School of Law. When...
December 14, 2022
Rescind Turpel-Lafond’s honorary degrees or we’ll return ours, say high-profile Indigenous women
Academic integrity expert says Turpel-Lafond story is a ‘watershed moment for Canadian higher education’ CBC Investigates: Michelle Good chokes up a little when she talks about the honorary doctorate she received from Simon Fraser University (SFU) in October. The retired Cree lawyer and author of the bestselling book Five Little Indians received the honour for her advocacy...
November 3, 2022
Report offers guidance for post-secondary efforts on Indigenous citizenship/membership verification
Saskatchewan (USask) is sharing a new independent report that will contribute to the national conversation and inform the university’s continued implementation of policies and practices around this issue. NationTalk: USask commissioned Jean Teillet, a leading Canadian expert on Indigenous rights, Métis identity, and history, to look into the root causes of the problem, advise on the...
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