KINGSTON, Ont. — Dozens of academics want Queen's University to retract a statement defending employees anonymously accused of falsely claiming Indigenous identity.
An online letter signed by scholars from Canada and beyond says the university ignored troubling information.
It says the school rebutted the allegations without talking to Indigenous faculty and staff or other Indigenous communities.
Signatories include Pamela Palmater, chairwoman in Indigenous governance at Ryerson University, and Kim TallBear, with the University of Alberta and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples.
Queen's released a statement last Friday in response to an anonymous report regarding six employees.
The university called the anonymous document misleading and inaccurate, in part regarding the genealogy of the employees.
People named in the report are "welcome, active, and respected members of the Indigenous and academic communities within the university," the school said.
It also said it would investigate the origins of the document.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2021.
The Canadian Press
