A group of University of British Columbia faculty members and a graduate student have launched a lawsuit against the institution’s administration. In a petition filed in the BC Supreme Court, the group alleges that the university is breaching the University Act with the wording used in Indigenous land acknowledgements, requiring job applicants to agree with EDI principles, and taking positions on the conflict in Gaza. The petitioners are calling for the court to prohibit the university from these actions. Castanet reports that the Okanagan Nation Alliance has spoken out against the lawsuit, asserting that UBC’s use of land acknowledgements is aligned with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Westbank First Nation Chief Robert Louie additionally stated that the university has a duty to foster environments of truth and reconciliation.
