Darryl Leroux says he has faced a backlash for his research into people claiming they are Eastern Metis. He says his critics have contacted his employer and grant providers.
"There are obviously people who are going to be upset when you appear to be putting their individual identity claims into question" says Leroux, a Saint Mary’s University professor who is researching the rise of the Eastern Metis. "I think that my concern is about the movement overall.
“And we are talking about tens of thousands of people who are claiming to have Indigenous rights who weren’t even just 15 years ago.”
According to Leroux, in the span of 20 years, the number of people self-identifying as Metis in Nova Scotia has ballooned from 830 people to more than 23,000.