Petitioners ask B.C. Supreme Court to force UBC to stop Indigenous land acknowledgements

A group of four UBC professors and one graduate student want the B.C. Supreme Court to order the university to stop Indigenous land acknowledgements.

A group of University of British Columbia professors, along with one former graduate student, wants the B.C. Supreme Court to order the school to stop declaring or acknowledging its campuses are on unceded Indigenous land.

“Many people find them uncontroversial, but land acknowledgements make a claim about who is sovereign on a particular territory, whether or not Canada is legitimately sovereign, and whether the land is stolen land,” said Josh Dehaas, a Calgary-based lawyer representing the petitioners.

Professors Andrew Irvine, Brad Epperly, Christopher Kam and Michael Treschow are the petitioners in the case, along with former graduate student Nathan Cockram.

Across its campuses in Vancouver and the Okanagan, UBC employs more than 7,000 faculty members.

The petition, filed Monday in B.C. Supreme Court, cites a section of B.C.’s University Act, which states “a university must be non-sectarian and non-political in principal.”

UBC’s main campus is on the traditional territory of the Musqueam Nation – and its elected chief rejects the notion that land acknowledgements are political.

“Absolutely not. It’s actually mind-boggling that we’re still having these discussions in 2025, you know. It’s the truth,” said Chief Wayne Sparrow. “It’s unceded territory. We don’t have a treaty here in Musqueam.”

Sparrow went on to say land acknowledgements are part of the foundation of his nation’s strong and growing relationship with UBC.

The petition also takes issue with some of the university’s policies around diversity, equity and inclusion.

It seeks an order “prohibiting and restraining UBC from requiring expressions of agreement with, fidelity to or loyalty to diversity, equity and inclusion doctrines, or any other political beliefs, as a condition of applying for UBC faculty positions and/or as a condition of appointment as UBC faculty.”

Dehaas said his clients feel like the school is silencing them.

“There’s a chill on campus and there’s things they want to say, or they want to study in some cases, that they feel they can’t under the current climate at UBC,” he said.

Professor Toni Schmader, the head of UBC’s psychology department, disputes the assertion that DEI initiatives are political in nature.

“Not only do I not think that principles that promote diversity, equity and inclusion are political, but I really think they are best practices that are central to the core of our mission,” Schmader said.

CTV News reached out to each of the petitioners requesting an interview or comment.

Treschow, Epperly and Irvine all declined and Kam and Cockram did not respond.

The university said it is reviewing the petition and will not comment further while the matter is before the court.