Experts on passing of Queen Elizabeth II

The following University of Victoria experts are available to media for comment about the history and future of the British monarchy and/or on the colonial history of abuses, as well as the Crown’s treaty relationship with Indigenous Peoples:

Gina Starblanket (Indigenous Governance) is an expert on treaty implementation in Canada, including the ways treaties are understood by Indigenous Peoples. Starblanket, a member of Star Blanket Cree Nation who was raised in Regina, can discuss the political relationship between Indigenous Peoples with treaties and the Crown. She is available Friday afternoon and has limited availability on Saturday (but can take calls if interviews are scheduled in advance) and is also available Sunday morning and through Monday. (By email at gns@uvic.ca)

John Lutz (History) is an expert on settler-Indigenous relations in the Pacific Northwest. He is available to comment on the relationship between the Crown and First Nations in BC and across Canada. (By email at jlutz@uvic.ca)

Mariel Grant (History) is a leading Canadian expert on the history of the Crown, the influence of the monarchy in modern times and, in general, the history of 20th and 21st century Britain. She can also provide commentary on the social, political and cultural role of the Crown in Canada and abroad. (By email at mlgrant@uvic.ca)

Neilesh Bose (History) is an expert in the history of the British Empire in South Asia and Africa. He can speak to the ongoing legacy of colonialism and historical and contemporary South Asian diasporic perspectives on the Crown. (By email at nbose@uvic.ca)

Peter Cook (History) is an expert on Indigenous-settler relations in pre-1850 Canada. He can speak to the alliances and treaty-making involving the Indigenous Nations of eastern North America and European colonial powers in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries and to Crown-Indigenous relations in pre-Confederation Canada. (By email at cookp@uvic.ca)

Ry Moran (Libraries) is an expert on truth and reconciliation in Canada and is the inaugural associate university librarian – reconciliation at UVic. As the former director of statement gathering for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) and the founding director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, he can discuss the history, origins and legacy of residential schools, the TRC Calls to Action, social memory as it relates to Indigenous Peoples, monuments and statues, systemic racism and discrimination across multiple sectors, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He is available today from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with limited availability Saturday through Monday. (By email at rymoran-aulr@uvic.ca)

Sarah Hunt / Tłaliłila'ogwa (School of Environmental Studies) is a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation and an expert in Indigenous approaches to justice. She can discuss the complicated relationship Indigenous peoples have with the Crown, including the legacy of reserve lands that are held in trust by the Crown. A number of gifts carved by Hunt’s family members were given to the Queen, yet importantly, cultural materials taken during the potlatch ban remain in royal museums. (By email at sarah@uvic.ca)

Simon Devereaux (History) is an expert on the British monarchy and government in the 18th and 19th centuries, and is currently teaching a course on the history of the British monarchy since 1689. He can speak about the lives of British monarchs, their functions and powers in government, their role as symbols of public values and the controversies that have sometimes arisen during their reigns. (By email at devereau@uvic.ca)

W̱SÁNEĆ Matriarch Tracy Underwood (Indigenous Studies) is an expert in land-based learning, history, storytelling, ethics and care for children, families and communities. She can discuss issues of land occupancy, the doctrine of discovery and how ongoing land dispossession negatively impacts herself and her husband, her eight children and 10 grandchildren in their daily lives. She can also share a personal interaction that her family and son had with the Queen on a visit and how this memorable event continues to inform her ethics, values and the way she moves in and out of her community. (By email at trunderwood@uvic.ca)

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