The Vancouver Senate of the University of British Columbia voted Wednesday night to revoke an honorary degree awarded to the late Catholic Bishop John Fergus O'Grady, former principal and priest of the Kamloops Indian Residence. Passed. A school where Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation are investigating the possibility of an unmarked burial site in .
An honorary degree was awarded to him in 1986. At this time, O'Grady retired after twenty years as head of the Diocese of Prince George.
Secwépemc Attorney and Tk̓emlúpste Secwépemc Nation Legal Counsel Katherine Hensel Speaks Before Senate Meeting, Community Says Her UBC Efforts to Address Past Mistakes said that they highly valued
"The pain is serious, and it would be helpful if UBC and other agencies acknowledged it," said Hensel , examining possible graves and calculating { About 83} Canada's past is an ongoing 'heartbreaking' process for Indigenous peoples.
"It removes the source of suffering for survivors and communities, and for all of us directly, intergenerationally and laterally boarding. I am influenced by my school heritage," she said.
Professor Emeritus John Gilbert, chairman of the Senate tribute committee that investigated O'Grady's role in the boarding school system, said he was grateful the vote had passed.
"I really, really, really appreciate everyone from British Columbia, Canada and around the world who responded to our report," he said.
"I think we all recognize that these discussions must continue. I am very happy to have your 100% support."
Wednesday's vote passed unanimously with one abstention, and the move to revoke O'Grady's degree was one of three recommendations in the Omnibus motion.
The second recommendation called on universities to conduct historical reflections on :
- Indigenous peoples and communities role of the university.
- The role that scholars played in producing the evidence used to justify the abuses of BC's Indigenous peoples. and Canada.
- Academia ignored the 'atrocities' committed in the name of the BC public.
Third, the Senate said UBC needed to do more to create conditions for:
- residential school records. can be saved and studied.
- Students can be taught and show evidence of what happened in those schools.
- Universities can focus on learning and working on solutions in a "collective journey towards truth and reconciliation."
Controversial Past
It was revealed that O'Grady was enrolled in Kamloops Boarding School, a letter attributed to him It was when it was posted on B.C. Posted on the Teacher's Federation website and shared widely on social media.
This letter, dated November 18, 1948, informs parents that their children will be back at school by her January 3rd, once the Christmas holidays are over.
If the children do not return to school on time, the letter reads, they will not be able to go home next Christmas.
Additionally, let parents know that seeing their children at Christmas is a "privileged privilege" given by the school and the government.
O'Grady's The legacy — and that of many others associated with the Canadian boarding school system — has been reassessed since Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc was announced to have been revealed by ground penetrating radar. 95} Kamloops, BC Potential Unmarked Tomb
Since then, several other First Nations across Canada have also been forced into boarding schools. Possibility of a cemetery for deceased children.
At the Senate meeting on Wednesday, UBC President and Vice President Santa Ono announced that other sanctions given to boarding schools and those involved in racist and discriminatory practices There are "adequate resources" such as the Canadian concentration camps that have pledged to conduct honorary degree reviews.