Professor resigns following indigenous identity questions

The Globe and Mail 04 June 2022

A celebrated researcher and academic whose claims to indigenous identity were called into question has resigned from the University of Saskatchewan, writes Joe Friesen for The Globe and Mail. Carrie Bourassa, a professor of community health and epidemiology in the college of medicine, stepped down from her position on Wednesday 1 May, the university announced.

Bourassa had once been considered one of the highest profile faculty at the University of Saskatchewan. She shared in research grants worth millions of dollars, had authored books and articles on indigenous health and was recognised as a leader in her field. She publicly claimed Métis, Anishinaabe and Tlingit ancestry. In addition to her work at the university, she held a prestigious job as scientific director of the Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health, which is part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

An investigation by the CBC last autumn raised serious questions about her claims to indigenous identity. Bourassa was subsequently suspended indefinitely without pay by the CIHR and then suspended with pay by the University of Saskatchewan, but prevented from conducting scholarly research. At the time, the university said it had serious concerns about some of the information Bourassa had provided in interviews.
Full report on The Globe and Mail site

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