Concordia the latest university to face questions over professor's claim to being Indigenous
Another situation of alleged false Indigenous identity is playing out at a Canadian university, with a professor at Concordia University reportedly suspended after her claim to being Cherokee was called into question.
Jessica Bardill is an associate professor in the school's English department, specializing in teaching Indigenous and Native American literature.
In an official biography published by Stanford University in 2013, when Bardill gave a talk there, she described herself as "of mixed Cherokee, Irish, Scottish, and Swiss descent, not partialized by that mixture but made multiply whole." Before Concordia, most of her career took place in the U.S.
However, doubts have been circulating in academic circles for at least a year about whether there is, in fact, any basis for that claim to being Cherokee.
According to French-language publication Le Droit Numerique, Bardill has been suspended by Concordia, possibly as long ago as last March. The outlet only cited faculty rumours.
Bardill has not yet responded to a request for comment from CTV News.
On Friday, academics began to come forward explaining more about the background.
Concordia wouldn't confirm anything about the situation.
"As an employer, for reasons of confidentiality and privacy, we cannot discuss specific employment matters," Concordia spokesperson Vannina Maestracci told CTV News.
But among those following similar cases, the questions around Bardill have been common knowledge for months.
An online job-hunting forum for University of British Columbia grad students appears to have brought the issue to a head, when an anonymous person mentioned Bardill's name about a year ago in a casual discussion on a chat board.
"She not only passes as a Cherokee, she also passes as a bio-ethicist," the person wrote, without providing any evidence of the claim, but naming a certain professor who "knows everything."
But the whispers appear to have started significantly earlier. Darryl Leroux, a professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, wrote a book on the subject of this kind of "ethnicity-shifting" called Distorted Descent: White Claims to Indigenous Identity.
He told CTV that a colleague had contacted him about Bardill's claim, which he called false, in early 2020.
"We can no longer be surprised about these types of allegations surfacing at Canadian universities," Leroux said.
"Virtually every university is facing scrutiny over faculty members who have engaged in this type of fraudulent conduct."
In the most recent and high-profile instance, professor Carrie Bourassa of the University of Saskatchewan was fired over presenting herself as Métis, Anishnaabe and Tlingit, but with no proof.
Bourassa had a job in the limelight, representing the part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research that focused on Indigenous health.
In the wake of the scandal, the University of Saskatchewan promised to adopt new policies for checking who's actually Métis, using a citizenship registry of the province's official Métis nation, rather than taking an applicant's word for it.
Aside from her teaching on literature, Bardill has also widely presented other research on Indigeneity -- much of her work focuses on the process of validating Cherokee identity, exploring whether "blood quantum," meaning a certain portion of genetic heritage, or DNA testing, is what defines someone as Indigenous.
Le Droit Numerique wrote that her position, when she was hired, wasn't reserved for Indigenous scholars, though Concordia could also have simply suspended her for lying, if that was the case.
However, Leroux said that posing falsely as Indigenous needs to be taken very seriously whenever such situations come to light.
"Indigenous identity fraud might seem trivial to some, but Indigenous scholars and communities have been crystal clear -- the harm it's causing to Indigenous peoples is immeasurable," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Mexican authorities say thieves killed 2 Australians and an American to steal their truck
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.