UBC Allard professor and lawyer Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Aki-kwe) has released a statement in response to questions about her claims to Indigenous ancestry. Since the CBC article was published, UBC, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and the Saskatoon Tribal Council have voiced support for Turpel-Lafond, although UBC did not comment on her Indigenous identity. Muskeg Lake Chief Kelly Wolfe also confirmed Turpel-Lafond’s membership in the CBC article and in a letter posted on the Nation's Twitter. “[My father] was Cree, spoke Cree and lived the values of a Cree person,” she wrote. Ramsey told The Globe and Mail on October 12 that "Indigenous identity was not a criterion" when hiring Turpel-Lafond.

Source: CBC News October 15, 2022 07:50 UTC