A DNA test shows a former judge and Order of Canada recipient accused of falsely claiming to be Cree 害羞草研究所渕ost likely害羞草研究所� has Indigenous heritage, a report from the Law Society of British Columbia revealed Thursday.
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond previously served as B.C.害羞草研究所檚 representative for children and youth, and was well known as a lawyer on Indigenous rights.
Her Indigenous identity was the subject of a 2022 CBC News investigation, which called into question her heritage, including claims her father was Cree. It also found Turpel-Laford misrepresented her credentials.
The law society confirmed Thursday she did misrepresent certain credentials, and ordered her to pay $10,000 to a non-profit organization that supports Indigenous justice.
But as part of its investigation, the law society says an independent geneticist found Turpel-Lafond most likely has very recent ancestors with substantial Indigenous DNA.
The DNA test and geneticist害羞草研究所檚 analysis were provided to the law society by Turpel-Lafond.
Turpel-Lafond said she never should have had to prove her Indigenous identity and the allegations have done tremendous harm to her and her family.
害羞草研究所淚 am grateful to have this matter behind me. I was raised by a Cree father and Scottish mother,害羞草研究所� she said in a statement Thursday.
害羞草研究所淚 look forward to moving ahead and will continue to support justice for Indigenous Peoples and peace among all peoples as this aligns with my values and my professional work.害羞草研究所�
After CBC害羞草研究所檚 investigation into Turpel-Lafond, she was removed from the Order of Canada at her own request.
She also returned honorary degrees from several universities, including Simon Fraser, Brock, and two Vancouver Island schools. McGill, Carleton and the University of Regina rescinded awards they previously granted to her.
Turpel-Lafond had also served as the director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia, where she was a tenured law professor until late 2022.
Her lawyer, David Wotherspoon, said in a statement that the 18-month law society investigation reflects what Turpel-Lafond has always said: 害羞草研究所淪he is Indigenous by birth.害羞草研究所�
He said people owe Turpel-Lafond an apology, and that she is the victim of a campaign to discredit her and her work through false allegations.
害羞草研究所淐an you imagine how crippling it would be to have the foundation of who you are destroyed on false assertions? It is appalling how quickly people jumped in to vilify someone whose life害羞草研究所檚 work was dedicated to protecting children, most often Indigenous children.害羞草研究所�
Turpel-Lafond told the law society she believed her father is Cree from Norway House, Manitoba.
She told the law society that she believes her Indigenous identity should be determined by the 害羞草研究所渓aws, customs, practices and traditions of Indigenous Peoples,害羞草研究所� the report states.
Nevertheless, the law society reports that she voluntarily took a DNA test. The results indicate 害羞草研究所済enomic markers known to be disproportionately present in Indigenous populations are present.害羞草研究所�
The results were provided to McGill University geneticist Simon Gravel for review, though he is not named in the report.
In an interview Thursday, Gravel said it is not up to him to define who is and isn害羞草研究所檛 Indigenous, but that he was asked to comment on the reliability of the test done by Nebula Genomics.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not an ancestor from like five generations ago,害羞草研究所� Gravel said of the results. It害羞草研究所檚 more likely to be a parent or grandparent who passed down Indigenous genes, he said.
害羞草研究所淚t would be recent ancestors.害羞草研究所�
He could not ascertain whether the Indigenous genes came from the paternal or maternal line.
An important caveat, he said, is that he did not collect the DNA himself and he must assume that the DNA actually came from Turpel-Lafond.
The law society found several examples of 害羞草研究所渕ischaracterizations害羞草研究所� in Turpel-Lafond害羞草研究所檚 application to join the society in 2018 that she knew, or ought to have known, were false or inaccurate.
For example, her application said she joined the Nova Scotia bar in 1990 when in fact she was called in 1991. She said she joined the Saskatchewan bar in 1992 but wasn害羞草研究所檛 actually called until 1994.
She also said she was a tenured professor at Dalhousie Law School for 15 years when she was only tenured for two.
害羞草研究所淭he lawyer acknowledges that lawyers have a duty to be accurate and truthful, and that she ought to have taken greater care to provide accurate information in her application for admission to the Law Society,害羞草研究所� the report says.
害羞草研究所淭he lawyer is remorseful and has admitted her misconduct.害羞草研究所�
The report also includes letters of support, including from Alberta lawyer and respected Indigenous leader Wilton Littlechild.
害羞草研究所淚 admire her expertise gained from true efforts, hard work and experience. Her foundation of Indigenous ways and wisdom from Elders serves her well to make things better for all our relations,害羞草研究所� Littlechild said in the letter.
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