Saint Mary’s (Halifax) University professor, Darryl Leroux is perpetuating racism and hate across the country against Indigenous individuals and peoples by searching for, skewing, and then publishing identifying information about particular individuals on the internet in order to raise his own public profile or for personal financial gain. He applies targeted research findings to theorize about individuals’ identity as non-status or Eastern Metis, accusing such individuals of masterminding a social movement to undermine status Indians defined by the Indian Act. Darryl Leroux personally discredits any claims to Métis identity from outside the Red River Region which has veritable historic ties to mixed ancestries out of Québec.  Darryl Leroux does not understand that a Métis (or non-status) identity is not derived from a long-ago ancestor. Darryl Leroux asserts non-Indigenous interpretations of complex Indigenous histories and identities and is assuming an authoritative voice while marketing his own publication about his non-Indigenous theory and grandstanding about Indigenous identity, as a non-Indigenous academic. He stated (June 7, 2021): “White people are going to steal from Indigenous peoples”. By his own words, this self-identifying Whiteman is stealing Indigenous voice, history, experiences, and identities from veritable Indigenous people and peoples.  

Darryl Leroux’s website https://www.raceshifting.com/ is proof of personal bias and strategic manipulation of information. His calculated defamatory statements against, in particular, individuals who are Eastern Metis and non-status First Nations incite hate and provoke lateral violence across Indigenous communities of Canada. His actions negatively impact and influence all historically oppressed Indigenous peoples. To incite hate, defame and insult individuals and groups on the basis of their race, ancestry, culture, skin colour, birth status, ethnic origin, and beliefs are in direct violation of Canada’s Criminal Code.

Saint Mary’s claim that it promotes “a broad interdisciplinary understanding of Aboriginal /Indigenous topics”. Accurate knowledge of the complex histories of Indigenous peoples within Canada acquired either on or off-campus is crucial at this time of the implementation of the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Saint Mary’s promotes that harassment of any type is a form of discrimination and will not be tolerated. They define Cyberbullying as the use of information technology to deliberately harass, threaten, or intimidate someone. The signatories of this petition advise officials and governing authorities of the publicly funded Saint Mary’s University of the abuses against Indigenous individuals and peoples of Canada inflicted by Darryl Leroux.  It is time for him to stop.