Peaceful demonstration at USask after Dr. Carrie Bourassa placed on administrative leave

The university placed Dr. Carrie Bourassa on administrative leave earlier this week after she was the subject of a CBC investigation looked into her ancestry.

A peaceful demonstration was held at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Friday, calling for more processes and procedures concerning Indigenous colleagues.

The university placed Dr. Carrie Bourassa on administrative leave earlier this week after she was the subject of a CBC investigation looked into her ancestry.

Bourassa self-identifies as someone with Métis heritage, but the investigation found her genealogy is of Eastern European decent.

Osawa Kiniw Kayseas was a student at the First Nations University of Canada and the University of Regina when Bourassa was a professor.

At the time she said all she knew about Bourassa was she was a Métis professor. She said she was shocked to learn of the allegations.

“We’re very welcoming people, and when trust is broken it’s hard to repair that,” she said.

For nearly two decades, Bourassa has been prominent in Indigenous research, even giving “Ted Talks” about her experience as a Métis person.

Kiniw Kayseas has questions about her ethics.