U of C public policy school apologizes over event invite wording
The invite resulted in a number of academics, including several at the University of Calgary, calling the language used offensive and calling for an apology
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The University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy has apologized for wording in a promotion for a book event that was deemed offensive to Indigenous people.
Earlier this week, the policy school released an invitation to the event scheduled for March 31 titled “Is Canada in Peril? The Forces Tearing Canadian Citizenship Apart,” where Peter MacKinnon was set to discuss his latest book. The invitation posed a number of questions on the topic, including “Will Canada’s Aboriginal problem ever find resolution?”
A number of academics, including several at the University of Calgary, called the language offensive and demanded an apology.
On Tuesday, the department stated the wording was vague and offered a clarification. On Wednesday, the school offered an official apology to Indigenous peoples.
“The School of Public Policy sincerely apologizes to Indigenous peoples and our communities for yesterday’s communication,” stated a tweet from the department’s official Twitter account. “We are committed to the (University of Calgary) Indigenous Strategy, ii’ taa’poh’to’p, and will work with the Office of Indigenous Engagement to demonstrate our commitment.”
The University of Calgary said the wording has been changed. School officials said the original wording is not reflective of the university’s values and falls short of expectations established by the school’s Indigenous strategy.
“The wording of the event description has been changed and SPP’s leadership group has reached out to the Office of the Vice Provost (Indigenous Engagement), acknowledging the hurtful impact of the words chosen, and providing a commitment to work with Dr. Michael Hart, PhD, vice provost (Indigenous Engagement) and his team on how to address the matter further,” the University of Calgary said in a statement provided to Postmedia.
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