Hundreds of Indigenous leaders take aim at false claims of Indigeneity - CBC.ca
National Indigenous Identity Forum hosted by First Nations University of Canada this week
Hundreds of Indigenous scholars, administrators, students and elders from across Canada met virtually this week to talk about how to prevent people who falsely claim they are Indigenous from taking benefits that aren't intended for them.
The National Forum on Indigenous Identity, held March 9 and 10, was organized by First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) in partnership with the newly formed National Indigenous University Senior Leaders' Association (NIUSLA).
The event was announced last year after a CBC investigation into Carrie Bourassa, who at the time was Canada's leading Indigenous health scientist, found she had falsely claimed to be Indigenous.
Jacqueline Ottmann, the president of FNUniv and co-chair of NIUSLA, said it is time for Indigenous people across the country to address this issue together.
She said while there have been pretenders around for years, the problem is getting worse because of a growing number of scholarships, grants and jobs intended specifically for Indigenous people.
"With the increase of these opportunities, it seems there has been an increase of people who are claiming Indigeneity," said Ottmann.
The by-invitation-only event had almost 400 Indigenous attendees who attended sessions and participated in group discussions aimed at identifying the...
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