Dr. Turpel-Lafond photo credit Peter A. Allard School of Law, The University of British Columbia

The Saskatoon Tribal Council is one of many Indigenous organizations coming out in fierce support of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond.

A CBC news report has called into question Turpel-Lafond’s claims of Cree ancestry. Turpel-Lafond was a judge in Saskatchewan before taking a position in British Columbia as that province’s first Representative for Children and Youth. After two terms in her role advocating for children, she became a professor at the University of British Columbia and is now the inaugural director of the University of British Columbia’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.

Saskatoon Tribal Chief Mark Arcand issued a statement last night saying, “Mary Ellen is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and a friend to the Saskatoon Tribal Council.” Arcand also stated, “Our kinship is defined by First Nations, not the media or Canadian government.”

The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs says Turpel-Lafond’s work is of the highest order and her integrity above reproach.

“Issues of First Nations identity and community membership are for Indigenous peoples, families, and governments to sort through based on their own laws, customs, and traditions. We understand that Chief Kelly Wolfe of Muskeg Lake First Nation, and her kinship family, all confirm that Dr. Turpel-Lafond is part of their community under their Indigenous laws.”

The UBCIC also suggests that it would be energy better spent holding Crown governments to account reporting on the enduring legacy of colonialism in Canada and investigating the challenges faced by Indigenous people.

Turpel-Lafond has long been touted as the first Indigenous woman appointed to the judicial bench of the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan.