Memorial University president Vianne Timmons released a lengthy statement Tuesday on the issue of Indigenous identity. She says her family, through her father, has Mi’kmaw ancestry, but she herself is not Mi’kmaq and is not Indigenous. Her family had been registered in a Cape Breton band that is not federally recognized, but she grew uncomfortable with that membership over time as she was not raised in the community or the culture, so she discontinued it. Timmons said in her statement that falsely claiming Indigenous identity is categorically wrong, and she will be more cognizant in the future about how she shares information about her heritage.

The full statement can be read here.