Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond

B.C. Legislature in Victoria on a cloudless sunny day

UBC experts on new B.C. anti-racism legislation

The B.C. government introduced new legislation today aimed at addressing systemic racism in B.C. UBC experts are available to comment.

May 2, 2022

Credit: Harry Grout/Unsplash

UBC experts on ethics commissioner’s report on SNC-Lavalin

Federal Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion said today that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau contravened a section of the Conflict of Interest Act by pressuring former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to halt criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. UBC experts are available to comment.

Aug 14, 2019

B.C. prosecutors aim to tackle bias and racism to reduce ‘unacceptable’ number of Indigenous incarcerations

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a UBC law professor, a former judge and B.C. representative for children and youth, commented to CBC about changes to the criminal justice system in favour of […]

Apr 17, 2019

Indigenous birth keepers break cycle, keep families together

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, head of UBC’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre. spoke to CBC about a program aimed at keeping Indigenous families together. “I’m very excited about the role that [doulas] will […]

Apr 11, 2019

Wilson-Raybould set conditions, wanted PM apology over course of SNC-Lavalin affair

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a law professor at UBC, spoke to CTV about the conditions set out by Jody Wilson-Raybould and the SNC-Lavalin affair. A similar article appeared in Huffington Post […]

Apr 5, 2019

Trudeau’s offer of Indigenous Services to Wilson-Raybould like ‘asking Nelson Mandela to administer apartheid’

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, director of UBC’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, said in a CBC article that offering Jody Wilson-Raybould the Indigenous Services portfolio was inappropriate.

Mar 7, 2019

Liberals say they are just trying to protect jobs at SNC-Lavalin. That’s probably illegal

The National Post quoted Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a professor of law at UBC, in an article about the Liberal government’s claims they are protecting jobs at SNC-Lavalin.

Mar 7, 2019

Trudeau issues cabinet order to allow Wilson-Raybould to testify publicly about SNC-Lavalin

The Canadian Press quoted Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC, about the order by Trudeau to allow Jody Wilson-Raybould to testify. […]

Feb 27, 2019

Wilson-Raybould ‘anxious’ to testify on SNC-Lavalin – but it’s not clear how much she can say

CBC reported that Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, senior associate counsel at Woodward and Company LLP and a professor at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law, will appear at the justice committee […]

Feb 26, 2019

Cabinet shuffle shows reconciliation dropping in priority for Trudeau, say Indigenous advocates

CBC quoted Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, director of UBC’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre, in an article about Trudeau’s decision to disband the  team of ministers charged with mending Canada’s […]

Jan 15, 2019

Trudeau’s First Nations ‘framework’ project looks stalled

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC, spoke to Maclean’s for an article about Trudeau’s First Nations “framework.” She said the government […]

Oct 25, 2018

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC, discussed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People on CBC Radio’s Early Edition before […]

Oct 15, 2018

Current child welfare system often causes Indigenous kids more harm

The Canadian Press interviewed Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, director of the UBC Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre and B.C.’s former children’s advocate. Turpel-Lafond said the current child welfare system […]

Oct 9, 2018

Trudeau’s words don’t match early indicators on Indigenous rights framework: Letter

CBC Indigenous interviewed Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC, about Ottawa’s plan to introduce legislation to enshrine Indigenous rights in federal […]

Sep 12, 2018

Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC). Credit: Paul Joseph/UBC

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond joins UBC as head of residential school centre and professor of law

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a renowned Indigenous Canadian judge, lawyer and advocate for children and Indigenous restorative justice, has joined UBC as the inaugural director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) and as a professor with the Peter A. Allard School of Law.

Apr 26, 2018