University of Saskatchewan turns to Indigenous governments to root out identity fraud

After months of consultation about how to stop "pretend Indians" from taking jobs and scholarships meant for genuine Indigenous people, the University of Saskatchewan has decided to rely on Indigenous governments to verify identity. 

And that will mean a reliance on status cards and the Métis citizenship registry.

Both are controversial in some quarters. 

Last fall, the university found itself in the middle of a national scandal after a CBC investigation found that Carrie Bourassa, a high-profile professor at the U of S who had claimed to be Indigenous, was in fact of entirely European ancestry. She subsequently resigned her position.

Until that moment, the university had relied on the honour system when it came to Indigenous ancestry. If someone self-identified as Métis or First Nations, that was deemed sufficient. 

However, U of S president Peter Stoicheff said in an interview it has become clear that "self identification is no longer adequate" and going forward, "documentation and verification will be required." 

The university struck a 28-person task force made up of Indigenous elders, professors, politicians, administrators and others to determine what to do next. 

Stoicheff says the task force concluded that the university must not be involved in the business of deciding who is and who is not Indigenous. 

"The main feature is it's not up to us as a university community to determine," he said. Stoicheff added that on the advice of the task force, the university will be looking to Indigenous governments including First Nations band councils and the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) "to determine what that documentation looks like." 

Mark Arcand, tribal chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, which represents seven First Nations, says the U of S is on the right track. 

"What I'm pleased about with the University of Saskatchewan is they relied on the Indigenous people to actually come together and say, 'Here's what the expectation is when you're applying for a position at the university,'" said Arcand, who served on the task force that, he said, met every two weeks from January to June. 

According to Arcand, determining who is a First Nations person is a "black-and-white" matter.

"It's very simple for us," he said. "If somebody said 'Prove who you are,' boom, you can prove it right now."

That proof, he says, is the Indian status card issued by the federal government to all First Nations band members.