McGill, Carleton universities vote to rescind Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond's honorary doctorates

Two more universities haverevoked the honorary doctor of laws degreebestowed on Mary EllenTurpel-Lafond.

McGill University told CBC News the university's senate voted to revoke the honorary degree awarded to her in 2014. In a public statement on the same day,Carleton University said the university's senate passed a motion to rescind her degree awarded to her in 2019.

Last fall,CBC published a story casting doubt on Turpel-Lafond's claimto Indigenous ancestry. In the wake of that story, a group called the Indigenous Women's Collective and others across the country called on all universities that had granted her an honorary doctorate to revoke them.

McGill says the university informed Turpel-Lafond of itsdecision, which was based on a recommendation by the university's honorary degrees and convocations committee following the completion of a review process by an ad hoc subcommittee.

"Based on its work, the subcommittee found evidence calling into question the validity of information about academic credentials and accomplishments appearing on Ms. Turpel-Lafond's curriculum vitae. It also recognized that her claims about being a Treaty Indian were the subject of important questions.," McGill said in an email to CBC.

In a public statement, Carleton Universityexplained itsdecision.

"The recommendation from the Senate's Honorary Degrees committee followed a process that included consultations with the university's Indigenous Education Counciland a careful review of all the information publicly available," the statement said.

"The evidence that emerged about disputed claims to both Indigenous identity and academic credentials/accolades was deemed to outweigh the accomplishments that originally warranted granting the degree."

WATCH| In 2014, Turpel-Lafond took centre stage at the McGill Law School commencement ceremony to receive her eighth honorary doctor of laws degree:

Turpel-Lafondhas been granted honorary degrees from 11Canadian universities. All of them have said they are weighing calls from the Indigenous Women's Collective to revoke those honours.

Earlier this month, the University of Regina saidit had revoked the honorary doctor of laws degree it bestowed onTurpel-Lafondin 2003. The U of R's decision markedthe first time a university hadrescinded a degree.

Turpel-Lafondhas also voluntarily returned honorary degrees from Vancouver Island Universityin Nanaimo, B.C., and Royal Roads University in Victoria.

In a statement earlier this month,the Indigenous Women's Collective praised the U of R's "decisive action."

"We applaud the University of Regina fortheir courage and commitment to upholding academic integrity, denouncing Indigenous identity fraud, andconducting itself in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation," the statement said.

The group said the decisions by the two universities on Vancouver Islandto accept the voluntary return of the awards was a mistake because it"did not uphold academic integrity by making Ms.Turpel-Lafondaccountable for her actions."

The group hascalledon Canada's Governor General to revoke the Order of Canada that was granted toTurpel-Lafondin December2021.

"Inlight of Ms.Turpel-Lafond'songoing refusal to provide reasonable explanations for refuted claims toindigeneity, we call upon the Governor General of Canada to denounce Indigenous identity theft and terminatethe Order of Canada awarded to Ms.Turpel-Lafond," the statement says.