Health scientist Carrie Bourassa on immediate leave after scrutiny of her claim she’s Indigenous |
Health scientist Carrie Bourassa on immediate leave after scrutiny of her claim she’s Indigenous
CBC News
2021-11-02
Geoff Leo, Senior Investigative Journalist
University of Saskatchewan, CIHR place Bourassa on leave over lack of evidence
Carrie Bourassa, a University of Saskatchewan professor and the scientific director of the Indigenous health arm of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is on leave from both institutions following a weekend of online outrage stemming from CBC’s investigation into her claims to Indigeneity.
Bourassa, who has headed up an Indigenous research lab at the U of S and the CIHR’s Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health, has publicly claimed to be Métis, Anishnaabe and Tlingit.
CBC found there was no evidence she was Indigenous, despite her claims many times over the past 20 years. When asked, Bourassa hasn’t offered any genealogical evidence to back up her claims, but in a statement she said two years ago she hired a genealogist to help her investigate her ancestry, and that work continues.
Just last week, after publication of the CBC story, the CIHR issued a statement supporting Bourassa, saying it “values the work of the Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health under Dr. Carrie Bourassa’s leadership.” And the U of S also backed her, stating, “The quality of Professor Bourassa’s scholarly work speaks for itself and has greatly benefited the health of communities across Canada.”
However, on Monday, both institutions announced Bourassa was on immediate leave…
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Tags: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Carrie Bourassa, CBC, CBC News, Geoff Leo, Saskatchewan, University of Saskatchewan