Canada's research funding agencies developing policy to root out Indigenous identity fraud
Report says 'honour system' for Indigenous identity has been exploited, must be replaced
The federal agencies that fund research in Canada are taking steps to stamp out Indigenous identity fraud in an effort to ensure that funding intended for Indigenous researchers goes to genuine Indigenous people.
A new report reveals that Canada's three research funding agencies — the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) — are developing a new policy that will lead to significant change.
"This policy is really oriented toward ensuring that we can confidently say as agencies that the research that we're funding by Indigenous people is in fact conducted by Indigenous people," said Karine Duhamel, the director of Indigenous Strategy for SSHRC.
The report says the move is being driven by a series of media reports over the past few years that have identified academics and other prominent Canadians who have falsely claimed Indigenous ancestry and benefited from those claims.
It specifically mentions the 2016 APTN story that raised questions about Joseph Boyden's claim to Indigenous ancestry, and a series of CBC stories casting doubt on the ancestry claims of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond and Vianne Timmons.
It also recalls the case of Carrie Bourassa, who used to serve as the scientific director of both the National Institute for Indigenous Peoples' Health at the University of Saskatchewan and the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health at the CIHR before a CBC story revealed that she was in fact of entirely European ancestry.
Duhamel said while she doesn't know how widespread the problem is, the media stories have made it clear this issue must be addressed.
She said that until now, the agencies have given out funding based on self-identification — essentially, the honour system. If a research claimed to be Indigenous, that qualified them for funding set aside for Indigenous scholars.
Duhamel said that system was ripe for abuse.
"People who are looking to misrepresent themselves have come to see … a way to access opportunities that are not intended for them," she said.
The new report, which was the result of broad consultation with Indigenous organizations and individuals, as well universities across the country, lays out a series of broad principles that will help to guide the new policy.
Duhamel said the funding agencies will not be attempting to determine for themselves who is and who isn't Indigenous. Instead, they will be asking those applying for Indigenous-specific funding to provide evidence that they are citizens or members of an Indigenous community. That evidence could be a citizenship card or an Indian Status card.
"We've chosen to focus on citizenship or membership because we think that it is both grounded and a more concrete expression of who someone is and the community to which they belong or who claims them," she said.
Duhamel acknowledged that some non-status Indians may not have any documentation and said the new policy will have to accommodate that, aiming to uphold high standards while not being overly rigid. She said the report makes clear that this is a very complex and nuanced issue that will require careful thought.
She said universities are taking fraudulent identity claims seriously and treating them as academic misconduct. Duhamel said they hope that the mere existence of a policy will encourage funding applicants to be honest about who they are.
"I think it will have a deterrent effect on folks that would otherwise perhaps have seen an opportunity to misrepresent themselves," she said.
The policy is still in development. Duhamel said the agencies hope to have it in place within a year, after all of the necessary consultation has been completed.
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