Wikipedia

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

Mary Ellen Elizabeth Turpel-Lafond (born 1963) is a Canadian lawyer, law professor, judge, and legislative advocate for children's rights.

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond
head and shoulders photo of Turpel-Lafond
Turpel-Lafond in 2011
BornFebruary 1963
Canada
Other namesMary Ellen Elizabeth Turpel-Lafond
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Lawyer
  • judge
  • academic

Turpel-Lafond worked on land claims with the Indian Law Resource Center in Washington, DC, and served as a legal and constitutional adviser to aboriginal leaders. She has taught at Dalhousie University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Notre Dame, and has served as a judge on the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan. Time magazine named Turpel-Lafond as one of the "100 Global Leaders of Tomorrow" in 1994;[1] in 1999, Time honoured her as one of the "Top 20 Canadian Leaders for the 21st Century".[2] Turpel-Lafond also served as British Columbia's first Representative for Children and Youth. In 2018, Turpel-Lafond became a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She was later named the inaugural director of the University of British Columbia's Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.

Until 2022, Turpel-Lafond – who has also used the Indigenous name "aki-kwe"[3] – was celebrated as one of the most accomplished First Nations scholars in the history of Canada.[4] However, her statement that she is a Treaty Indian was disputed in an October 2022 CBC News report that found major discrepancies between available documents and Turpel-Lafond's own statements about her ancestry.[1] Following the CBC News report, Turpel-Lafond left the University of British Columbia; in addition, various honors and awards that she had received were revoked or relinquished.

Early life and education edit

Turpel-Lafond was born in February 1963[4] to William and Shirley Turpel. She has three older sisters.[1] While Turpel-Lafond has stated that she was born and raised on the First Nation reserve of the Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, a 2022 report by CBC News stated that Turpel-Lafond was likely born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario.[4] Turpel-Lafond has stated that there was alcoholism and violence in her family's home[4] and that she experienced poverty and sexual abuse in her youth.[1]

Turpel-Lafond received a bachelor of arts degree from Carleton University in 1982.[5][6] She holds a law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University[5] and received a diploma in international law from the University of Cambridge in 1989.[7] Turpel-Lafond was awarded a doctorate of law from Harvard Law School in 1997.[1]

In a 2018 curriculum vitae, Turpel-Lafond stated that she had received a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Cambridge. When asked by reporters, the University of Cambridge stated that the diploma is a substantially different credential from the LLM degree. Turpel-Lafond's 2018 curriculum vitae also indicated that she received her doctorate from Harvard in 1990; however, the 2022 CBC News report stated that she did not receive that degree until 1997.[1]

Career edit

Academic edit

Before a 2022 CBS News cast doubt on her statements of Indian ancestry, Turpel-Lafond was celebrated as one of the most accomplished First Nations scholars in the history of Canada.[1] She was a tenured law professor at Dalhousie University, Faculty of Law. Turpel-Lafond taught law at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Toronto, and other universities.[8]

From 1989 to 1996, Turpel-Lafond was an assistant professor of law at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University from 1989 to 1996. She spoke at other universities, and held the position of Aboriginal Scholar at the University of Saskatchewan.[9][10]

Lawyer edit

Turpel-Lafond was a member of the bar in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. As a practising lawyer, Turpel-Lafond appeared before all levels of courts in Canada,[citation needed] including the Supreme Court of Canada.[11] Turpel-Lafond worked on land claims with the Indian Law Resource Center in Washington, DC, and served as a legal and constitutional adviser to aboriginal leaders.[12] During the negotiations over the Charlottetown Accord, a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, Turpel-Lafond was a legal and constitutional advisor to Ovide Mercredi, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.[10] Turpel-Lafond and Mercredi co-wrote a book, In the Rapids: Navigating the Future of First Nations.[13]

As of February 2, 2024, Turpel-Lafond was listed as "non-practising" by the Law Society of British Columbia, the regulatory body for lawyers in that province.[14]

Judge edit

In 1998, Turpel-Lafond was appointed as a Provincial Court judge in Saskatchewan.[15] At the time, she was thought to be the first Treaty Indian to be appointed as a Provincial Court judge in Saskatchewan.[4][9][10]

In 2017, Turpel-Lafond was said to be under consideration as a potential appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada.[12]

Children's representative edit

After serving as a judge for eight years, Turpel-Lafond was appointed as British Columbia's first Representative for Children and Youth. In that capacity, she issued 93 reports and made 200 recommendations.[16] In 2015, Turpel-Lafond called for the government to hire immediately at least 250 social workers for indigenous children, in order to provide needed services and protect vulnerable children.[17] Turpel-Lafond left her position as Representative for Children and Youth in 2016.[16][18]

In 2017, Turpel-Lafond filed a lawsuit against the province of British Columbia which claimed that the government broke a verbal agreement to provide her with 18 months worth of pension credits for each year of service. The statement of claim said the province had a history of animosity with Turpel-Lafond. It says a deputy minister told her in 2015 that "the government would treat her as a 'member of the opposition'".[19][20]

University of British Columbia edit

In 2018, Turpel-Lafond joined the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia (UBC) as professor and was subsequently named the inaugural director of the University of British Columbia's Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.[21][22] She resigned as director in June 2022, while continuing as a professor at the university.[23]

On January 3, 2023 it was reported that as of December 16, 2022, Turpel-Lafond was no longer employed by the University of British Columbia.[24] Turpel-Lafond's departure from UBC was marked by controversy, with her stating that she "retired" from her position, a statement which UBC declined to confirm.[25] The Globe and Mail stated that Turpel-Lafond was removed from her position at the Peter A. Allard School of Law "because of the compelling evidence that she isn't who she says she is".[26]

Representations about ancestry and upbringing edit

According to Turpel-Lafond, she is "of Cree, Scottish and English heritage" (Cree via her father, and Scottish and English via her mother).[27] She has stated that her father, William Turpel, "was Cree, spoke Cree and lived the values of a Cree person".[27] Turpel-Lafond has asserted that her father was adopted by a British couple, William Nicholson Turpel and Eleanor Rhoda Turpel, but that the adoption was done informally.[27]

Turpel-Lafond's statement that she is a Treaty Indian was disputed in an October 2022 CBC News report that found major discrepancies between available documents and Turpel-Lafond's own statements.[1] CBC News reported that a birth certificate, a baptismal record, and a newspaper birth announcement all show that Turpel-Lafond's father, William Turpel, was the biological child of Canadian-British couple William Nicholson Turpel and Eleanor Rhoda Turpel.[4][28] A cousin and an aunt of Turpel-Lafond's have both told reporters that they had never known William Turpel to have either been adopted or have been of Cree ancestry.[1][4] Joe Keeper, a Cree man born at Norway House who was a schoolmate of William Turpel's, has told media that he knew William Turpel to be white and that he had never heard anyone say that William Turpel was a Cree Indian. Keeper further recalled that William Turpel's father was a white doctor in the community who had treated him for double pneumonia and dysentery during his youth.[1]

Turpel-Lafond has also stated that she was born and raised on the First Nation reserve of the Norway House Cree Nation, in Manitoba.[4] However, a 2022 report by CBC News states that Turpel-Lafond was likely born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The CBC's report is based on voter records for Turpel-Lafond's parents; a yearbook for a Niagara Falls high school containing an entry for Turpel-Lafond; the 1996 edition of Who's Who in Canada, which lists her place of birth as Niagara Falls; and her ex-husband's statement that he understood her to have been born and raised in Niagara Falls.[4]

After the CBC News report was published, the University of British Columbia initially affirmed its support for Turpel-Lafond. A university spokesperson commented that Indigenous ancestry was not a prerequisite for her employment and that Turpel-Lafond's "identity is her own and the university is not going to comment on it".[29] Turpel left the School of Law in 2023. According to The Globe and Mail, Turpel-Lafond was removed from her position at the School of Law due to evidence that her claims about her background were untrue.[26]

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, said he supported Turpel-Lafond and denounced accusations against her as a "disgusting witch hunt".[29][30] Other Indigenous groups and individuals also offered support to Turpel-Lafond.[31]

The Indigenous Women's Collective criticized the University's response to the report, saying that "university leaders have been too swift to publicly defend an individual claiming to hold Treaty Indian status and Indigeneity, when in fact there is no verifiable evidence to support that claim".[23][32][33][34]

Aly Bear, vice chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, initially joined a statement of support for Turpel-Lafond; she later retracted her support.[30] Cindy Blackstock, professor of social work at McGill University, and member of the Gitxsan First Nation, concluded that the birth certificate of Turpel-Lafond's father "... was pretty clear and convincing evidence suggesting that in this case there is no Indigenous identity per se".[35]

In March 2023, Turpel-Lafond stated that it was liberating to be freed of her various honours because it allowed her to "focus on what really matters" in her life. She stated that she did not have any emotional attachment to "titles, honours or accolades". She also stated that "Trial by media is rampant, can be unbalanced and cause harm", and added: "This is precisely how wrongful convictions and injustice happens — take a position based on what someone else suggests while never delving deeper into matters to determine the truth."[36]

Honorary degrees edit

During her career, Turpel-Lafond was awarded 11 honorary degrees from a variety of Canadian universities.[37] However, following the controversy surrounding her ancestry claims, all of her honorary degrees were either rescinded by the relevant universities or voluntarily relinquished.

University Year Awarded Status
University of Regina 2003 Rescinded[38]
Mount Saint Vincent University 2005 Rescinded[39]
Thompson Rivers University 2009 Voluntarily relinquished[40]
Brock University 2010[41] Voluntarily relinquished[42]
Vancouver Island University 2013 Voluntarily relinquished[43]
York University 2013 Voluntarily relinquished[44]
McGill University 2014[45] Rescinded[46]
Royal Roads University 2016 Voluntarily relinquished[47]
Simon Fraser University 2016 Voluntarily relinquished[48]
St. Thomas University 2017 Voluntarily relinquished[49]
Carleton University 2019 Rescinded[50]

According to a publicly available curriculum vitae, Turpel-Lafond has asserted that she had received an honorary doctorate from First Nations University of Canada in 2001. However, CBC has reported that First Nations University of Canada has never granted an honorary degree in the history of the institution and "any mention of receiving an honorary degree or award from FNUniv is erroneous".[32]

Order of Canada edit

In December 2021, Turpel-Lafond was appointed an Officer to the Order of Canada.[51][52][53] In September 2023, after doubt had been cast upon her assertions of Indigenous ancestry, she was removed from the Order at her request.[54]

Other issues edit

During a 2013 speech at a Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences event, Turpel-Lafond said that she had received the designation of Queen's Counsel (QC) from the Government of Saskatchewan. However, both the Ministry of Justice of Saskatchewan and the Law Society of Saskatchewan report that there is no record of Turpel-Lafond being appointed Queen's Counsel.[55]

On March 9, 2023, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association announced that it had stripped Turpel-Lafond of the Reg Robson Award it had previously given her in 2020. The BCCLA stated that information had come to their board's attention "that demonstrates, in our view, that Dr. Turpel-Lafond falsified her claims to Cree ancestry", and that she had made other academic and professional claims, "all of which, in our view, erode her professional integrity".[56][57] In response, Turpel-Lafond stated commented that she was surprised that the BCCLA had stripped her of the award without an opportunity to make any comments.[58]

According to Turpel-Lafond, she co-authored a book with University of British Columbia professor Grant Charles in 2017 titled Indigenous Customary Adoption and Reconciliation. Charles says he has no recollection of writing such a book, and no copies of the volume have been found.[55]

Reaction from federal funding agencies edit

Three of the federal agencies which fund academic research have announced that they are developing a policy to ensure that grants meant for Indigenous researchers do actually go to Indigenous people. The report cited the Turpel-Lafond case, amongst other similar cases, as being part of the reason for developing a clear policy.[59]

Personal life edit

Turpel-Lafond lives in North Saanich, British Columbia.[51] Her second husband is George Lafond, a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation who is a former vice-chief and tribal chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council.[60] She has a son and three daughters, including one set of twins.[61]

During her career, Turpel-Lafond was frequently described as a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation.[62][63][64][65][66] On 12 October 2022, Chief Kelly Wolfe of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation issued a public statement confirming that "Mary-Ellen [Turpel-Lafond] is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and has been for nearly 30 years."[67]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Leo, Geoff (October 12, 2022). "Disputed history". CBC. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Fowlie, Jonathan (November 21, 2009). "Children's advocate pulls no punches". Vancouver Sun.
  3. ^ Owen, Brenna (March 9, 2023). "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond speaks out after award revoked over heritage claims". nationalpost.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Leo, Geoff (November 21, 2022). "Birth certificate contradicts Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond's account of her father's parentage and ancestry". CBC. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Crawford, Tiffany (April 26, 2018). "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond appointed director of UBC's new Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre". Vancouver Sun.
  6. ^ "Seven Carleton Community Members Appointed to the Order of Canada". Carleton Newsroom. January 12, 2022.
  7. ^ McMahon, Rob (April 11, 2007). "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond: BC's children's champion". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  8. ^ "Paul LAH Chartrand, Aboriginal People & the Criminal Justice System in Saskatchewan: What Next?, 2005 68-2 Saskatchewan Law Review 253, 284 n.118, 2005 CanLIIDocs 656, retrieved on 2024-02-02".
  9. ^ a b Legg, Erin. "Turpel-Lafond, Mary Ellen (1963–)". The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Doug Cuthand, "Faking Indigenous ancestry hurts First Nations causes", Saskatoon StarPhoenix, November 25, 2022.
  11. ^ R v Pamajewon, [1996] 2 SCR 821.
  12. ^ a b Fine, Sean (November 16, 2017). "Trudeau's Supreme Court pick tangled in race, gender politics". Globe and Mail.
  13. ^ Ovide Mercredi and Mary Ellen Turpel, In the Rapids: Navigating the Future of First Nations (Toronto: Penguin Books Canada, 1993); reviewed by John Steckley, Canadian Book Review Annual Online.
  14. ^ "Law Society of British Columbia Lawyer Directory". Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  15. ^ "TURPEL-LAFOND APPOINTED PROVINCIAL COURT JUDGE". Government of Saskatchewan. March 4, 1998.
  16. ^ a b Adam, Betty Ann (March 7, 2017). "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond has always worked on the law's cutting edge". StarPhoenix.
  17. ^ "Advocate says B.C.'s children in government care need more social workers now", The Canadian Press, October 8 2015, accessed February 11, 2016.
  18. ^ Lori Culbert, "The end of an outspoken era: Turpel-Lafond wraps up 10 years of child advocacy", Vancouver Sun, October 24, 2016.
  19. ^ CBC News (March 18, 2017). "Former B.C. children's watchdog sues province in pension dispute".
  20. ^ "Scandal-plagued B.C. legislature misinterpreted its parliamentary privilege: judge", Prince George Citizen, January 31, 2019.
  21. ^ "Peter A. Allard School of Law | Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond". Archived from the original on April 4, 2018.
  22. ^ Baker, Rafferty (April 26, 2018). "Former B.C. representative for children and youth takes new UBC job". CBC News.
  23. ^ a b Leo, Geoff (October 25, 2022). "Indigenous professionals say UBC is mishandling Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond ancestry fallout". CBC. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  24. ^ Leo, Geoff (January 3, 2023). "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond no longer employed by UBC". CBC News. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  25. ^ "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond departure from UBC shines spotlight on vetting of Indigenous identities". Victoria Times Colonist. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  26. ^ a b Mason, Gary (January 8, 2023). "To no one's surprise, UBC botches Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond's departure". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  27. ^ a b c Hunter, Justine (October 14, 2022). "Children's advocate Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond asserts Cree heritage after investigation casts doubt on ancestry". Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  28. ^ Leo, Geoff (October 14, 2022). "Turpel-Lafond now claims her father was adopted from a Cree family". CBC. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  29. ^ a b Woo, Andrea (October 12, 2022). "UBC backs Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond after report raises questions about her claims to Indigenous ancestry". Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  30. ^ a b Leo, Geoff (November 24, 2022). "Sask. vice chief retracts statement that 'prematurely' supported Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond's ancestry claims". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  31. ^ Leo, Geoff (October 13, 2022). "Indigenous groups rally around Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond amid calls for proof of her Cree ancestry". CBC News.
  32. ^ a b Geoff Leo, "Universities weighing call from Indigenous women's group to revoke Turpel-Lafond's honorary degrees", CBC News, November 1, 2022.
  33. ^ "Women's Group Call for Revocation of Turpel-Lafond's Honorary Degrees", Indian Time, November 11, 2022".
  34. ^ "Royal Roads, VIU take another look at Turpel-Lafond honorary degrees". Times Colonist. November 6, 2022.
  35. ^ Leo, Geoff (November 23, 2022). "Cindy Blackstock says birth certificate convinced her that Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond has no Cree ancestry". CBC News. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  36. ^ "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says having awards stripped is 'liberating' ", Canadian Press/CBC, March 10, 2023.
  37. ^ Leo, Geoff (December 14, 2022). "Rescind Turpel-Lafond's honorary degrees or we'll return ours, say high-profile Indigenous women". The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  38. ^ Leo, Geoff (February 13, 2023). "University of Regina has rescinded Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond's honorary doctorate". CBC News. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  39. ^ "MSVU rescinds honorary degree". Mount Saint Vincent University. May 25, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  40. ^ "Turpel-Lafond returns honorary degree to TRU amid ongoing controversy". Prince George Citizen. May 10, 2023.
  41. ^ "Math teachers, historians and advocates among honorary degree recipients". Brock University. May 25, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  42. ^ "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond returns honorary degree". Brock University. May 25, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  43. ^ Leo, Geoff (January 17, 2023). "Turpel-Lafond voluntarily returns honorary doctorate to Vancouver Island University". CBC News. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  44. ^ "Return of honorary doctorate bestowed to Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond". yorku.ca. May 16, 2023.
  45. ^ "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond to receive honorary Law degree from McGill during Law's Convocation". McGill Faculty of Law News. May 23, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  46. ^ "Decision regarding honorary degree recipient". Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  47. ^ "Turpel-Lafond returns honorary degree to another B.C. university after internal review". CTV News. February 7, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  48. ^ "Turpel-Lafond returns honorary degree granted by Simon Fraser University in B.C.", Global News/The Canadian Press, March 30, 2023.
  49. ^ Rudderham, Hannah (April 21, 2023). "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond returns St. Thomas University honorary degree, president says". CBC.ca.
  50. ^ "Carleton Rescinds Honorary Doctorate of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond". Carleton Newsroom. February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  51. ^ a b "Governor General announces 135 new appointments to the Order of Canada". gg.ca. December 29, 2021.
  52. ^ "A full list of the newest additions and promotions to the Order of Canada". CTV News. December 29, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  53. ^ "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, Aki-Kwe, receives Order of Canada". University of British Columbia - Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre. December 29, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  54. ^ Thompson, Elizabeth (November 3, 2023). "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond dropped from the Order of Canada". CBC News.
  55. ^ a b Leo, Geoff (November 2, 2022). "Missing book, non-existent honour, leaked membership list among new Turpel-Lafond revelations". CBC. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  56. ^ "BC Civil Liberties Association Rescinds 2020 Reg Robson Award from Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond". bccla.org. March 9, 2023.
  57. ^ "BC Civil Liberties Association revokes award granted to Mary Ellen Turpel Lafond". Global News. March 9, 2023.
  58. ^ "Turpel-Lafond 'satisfied' with identity, past work". Global News. March 9, 2023.
  59. ^ Leo, Geoff (January 31, 2024). "Canada's research funding agencies developing policy to root out Indigenous identity fraud". CBC News.
  60. ^ Warick, Jason (July 22, 2015). "The pursuit of justice and reconcilliation". Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
  61. ^ Mclellan, Wendy (May 6, 2016). "Mother's Day Q&A: 14 questions with B.C. children's advocate Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond". The Province.
  62. ^ McMahon, Rob (April 11, 2007). "Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond: B.C.'s children's champion". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  63. ^ "First Voices: An Aboriginal Women's Reader". Inanna. 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  64. ^ Derbawka, Peter (2005). "New book tells the story of Muskeg Lake First Nation". Vol. 9, no. 5. Saskatchewan Sage. Retrieved March 10, 2024 – via ammsa.com.
  65. ^ "2013 Vancouver Human Rights Lecture: Human Rights and Today's Aboriginal Children and Youth with Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, BC Representative for Children and Youth". The University of British Colombia. August 20, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  66. ^ Fine, Sean (October 22, 2017). "Hope for Indigenous Supreme Court justice swells as appointment recommendations loom". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  67. ^ @MuskegLake (October 13, 2022). "We are aware of a CBC Regina media story regarding Mary-Ellen Turpel-Lafond, (aki-kwe)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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