Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is no longer a member of the Order of Canada | Indigenous identity, a complex issue

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Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond was the director of the Center for History and Dialogue on Indigenous Residential Schools at the University of British Columbia between 2018 and June 2022.

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Former judge and law professor Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, whose claims of Indigenous ancestry were discredited, loses an additional honor.

After losing honorary doctorates from St. Thomas University, McGill University and Carleton University, among others, she is now no longer a member of the Order of Canada, a title that had been granted to her in December 2021.

The decision was approved and signed by Mary Simon, the Governor General of Canada, on September 26. It will take effect on Saturday, November 4.

The revocation of the appointment of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond to the Order of Canada follows a request from the Indigenous Women's Collective. The main interested party says she returned the title herself to avoid being harassed on the subject.

I returned it because I didn't want to not be harassed by people who make it their mission to demean others, she responded by text to CBC News. Life is too precious to make room for people filled with hatred.

Indigenous identity, a complex issue

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Indigenous identity, a complex issue

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This is the latest withdrawal of recognition following the publication of a CBC investigation in fall 2022 questioning the man's claim of Indigenous ancestry 'former judge.