Queen’s releases report, accepts seven recommendations addressing Indigenous identity fraud

Queen’s University has released a report that includes seven recommendations to address Indigenous identity fraud. The report follows a pledge that Queen’s made in 2021 to review how it assesses Indigenous identity claims. All seven recommendations in the report have been accepted by Queen’s, including the implementation of a department of Indigenous studies; recommendations around who can be considered qualified for a teaching position meant for an Indigenous person; and the rejection of affiliations with the Ardoch First Nation, which is a non-status community. The university announced that it would establish an Indigenous Oversight Council to work on an approach to Indigenous identity, which will be an Indigenous-led process. CBC reports that several Indigenous academics described the report as promising and validating, although there are outstanding questions about how the oversight committee will be established and if it will be able to work in a timely way to address the concerns in the report.