Indigenous scholars allege racism, poor treatment at University of Ottawa
President vows to do better as one professor calls university 'a revolving door' for Indigenous faculty
Indigenous academics say a difficult work environment, poor treatment and racism at the University of Ottawa, and a lack of effort to address those problems, has led multiple promising Indigenous scholars to quit.
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environment → allege → scholars
In interviews, seven current and former uOttawa professors spoke negatively of their experience at the university, with some saying the institution has yet to reckon with its own history of training Catholic priests to run residential schools.
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institution → speak → schools
Others blamed modern governance issues like a lack of Indigenous representation among senior leadership and a failure to address complaints.
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Others → blame → complaints
In a year-long investigation, CBC Indigenous learned of an unresolved racism grievance filed by professors Veldon Coburn and Pierrot Ross-Tremblay, the exodus of seven Indigenous faculty members across multiple departments in one year starting in 2023, a civil lawsuit filed by one of them after leaving, and the early retirement of one long-serving Métis professor who called himself "a wounded soldier" and the environment "toxic."
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environment → learn → himself
The latest person to leave and speak out is Coburn, a member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn who officially resigned this summer, echoing a sentiment that the incidents are not isolated but a pattern.
"In the end, it was just a fairly pathetic attempt by the administration to have an Algonquin token, that there was never any real effort," Coburn said of his experience.
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Coburn → leave → experience
Though the university officially recognizes it sits on traditional unceded Algonquin territory, there was no attempt to retain him or resolve his complaint, which remains active, Coburn said.
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Coburn → recognize → complaint
"In fact, it was just a record of poor treatment that is reflective of the larger relationship that the institution has with the Algonquin nation."
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institution → have → nation
In a sit-down interview at her office, university president and vice-chancellor Marie-Eve Sylvestre called the complaints "a reminder that we have so much more to do" and personally committed to doing better.
"
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we → sit → more
I see this as a failure of the university for having been unable to create an inclusive and respectful environment, and I want to make sure that we put in place the conditions to do better in the future," said Sylvestre, a former law faculty dean who became president in 2025.
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who → see → 2025
"Universities are colonial institutions … especially us at the University of Ottawa, given that we were founded by the Oblates," she said.
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she → give → Oblates
"We are investigating our past at the moment, and we are sponsoring a history project into the connections between the University of Ottawa and the residential school system."
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we → investigate → Ottawa
The president's comments acknowledge concerns that have been circulating.
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that → acknowledge → concerns
From its founding until 1965 the university was administered by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Catholic order that ran 46 residential schools.
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that → administer → schools
Oblates founded university
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Oblates → found → university
Its most notorious known alumnus may be bishop Jules Leguerrier, who obtained a theology degree in 1942 and went on to be the principal at St. Anne's residential school in northern Ontario from 1944 to 1975.
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who → know → 1975
Children at the school were subject to extreme physical and sexual abuse and Leguerrier allegedly physically assaulted children including by whipping them and using a homemade electric chair.
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Leguerrier → assault → chair
Some feel this colonial history casts a long shadow.
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history → feel → shadow
You have to recognize this history," said Nancy Wiscutie-Crépeau.
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Crépeau → have → history
Wiscutie-Crépeau, who is Anicinabe from Senneterre in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, quit after a stint in the faculty of education's French sector.
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who → quit → sector
Police hunted for secret church archives during probe of abuse allegations at St. Anne's residential school
- In Depth
St. Anne's residential school horrors revealed by police files
She told CBC Indigenous she remains bitter and angry about her experience, describing the environment as colonial and disappointing.
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she → hunt → environment
"I can't say if there is racism, but what I know is that there is a profound lack of knowledge about Indigenous people," she said in French.
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she → say → French
"There is a deep, I would say, ignorance of who we are."
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we → be → ?
Tricia McGuire-Adams, a member of Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek in northern Ontario, left the education faculty at around the same time in 2023.
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Adams → leave → 2023
She spent four years there starting in 2019 but said she "experienced really harmful anti-Indigenous racism" and is now much happier at the University of Toronto.
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she → spend → Toronto
"I chose to leave because the microaggressions became too heavy," McGuire-Adams said.
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Adams → choose → ?
"My health began to suffer, my mental health began to suffer.
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health → begin → ?
My connection to community and my family began to suffer.
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connection → begin → community
And so I know that if I had chosen to stay, I would have continued to deteriorate on that health level."
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I → know → level
Another First Nations former professor sued the university in 2023 for $1.4 million over an incident of alleged inappropriate sexual contact.
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professor → sue → contact
The statement of claim says the professor "made every effort to seek a resolution" but that "it was clear the University of Ottawa would not take steps to rectify or remediate the situation."
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University → say → situation
The professor was "forced to seek employment at another university," according to the statement of claim.
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professor → force → claim
The allegations are untested in court, no defences were filed, and it's unclear how the case was resolved.
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case → file → court
Some professors cited the handling of that case with concern, while one person said the departure of Métis scholar Larry Chartrand was also eyebrow-raising and noteworthy.
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departure → cite → Chartrand
Chartrand worked as a celebrated law professor at uOttawa for nearly 30 years, joining the university in 1994.
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Chartrand → work → 1994
In a phone interview, he described a slow process of disillusionment and frustration that led him to retire early in 2019.
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that → describe → 2019
"I kind of lost faith in the law," Chartrand said, "but also after you butt heads with the institution about Indigenous reform for so long, you kind of want to just say, OK, that's enough.
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that → lose → reform
I think I'm going to retire."
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I → think → ?
He said it would be accurate to say the environment at uOttawa is difficult and colonial, even toxic.
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environment → say → uOttawa
"We're only learning now actually how toxic it can be as an Indigenous prof teaching, for example, the laws that tell you you're inferior," he said.
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he → learn → you
"It's kind of like being in a residential school in there, but you're the one doing the teaching.
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you → do → teaching
…and 25 more, not listed.
The Aporia
