(Quebec) After arousing rare unanimity against entire sections of her bill to protect “academic freedom”, the Minister of Higher Education, Danielle McCann, believes she has found a way through to rally the university community. The Liberals and the Parti Québécois will vote for its adoption, while Québec solidaire will abstain, judging that the minister still grants herself too many powers of interference.
Posted at 11:10 p.m.
Bill 32, which should be adopted Friday in Parliament, is the response of the Legault government to the report of the commission chaired by the former minister and vice-rector of the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi Alexandre Cloutier, who is concerned with the protection of academic freedom. The latter had received this mandate from Quebec while the newspapers, in particular The Presscited examples of sometimes explosive climates on campus when sensitive concepts or charged terms, such as the “word that starts with an N”, were mentioned in class.
This legislative piece had been severely criticized last month on several aspects. The university community (both rectors and professors and students) criticized, among other things, the powers given to the minister in article 6, which provided that she “may, when she deems it necessary to protect the freedom university academic, order an educational institution to include in its policy any element that it indicates”. Quebec corrects the shot and specifies that this power can only be exercised in the event that a university does not implement the law.
The government also transforms the councils which were to “examine complaints relating to an infringement of the right to academic freedom and, if necessary, to make recommendations concerning these complaints”, including “sanctions”, to make them simple committees. . They will have the power to issue simple recommendations.
The amended Bill 32 now also incorporates the definition of academic freedom set out in the Cloutier report, which echoes the definition universally recognized by UNESCO. It is also specified that “university autonomy and university academic freedom are two pillars to ensure that the university mission is updated”, explains Mr.me McCann, who wants the rectors – staunchly opposed to the adoption of a law – to rally around it now.
A policy that will be updated
Bill 32, which will be sanctioned in the days following its adoption, makes Quebec a pioneer in the protection of academic freedom. “I am very proud and happy to end my political life with this bill which gives freedom of speech and freedom of debate. I think it’s very important in all walks of life, like in health care,” said Ms.me McCann, former Minister of Health, who is leaving politics after one term.
“I think it’s a balanced bill that respects the autonomy of universities and protects academic freedom, which does not limit it, quite the contrary,” said his liberal counterpart Hélène David. , former Minister of Higher Education under the Couillard government, who is also ending her political career.
Universities will have one year after the law is passed to draft a policy dealing exclusively with academic freedom. They will then have to report to the government. The Minister will submit a report to the National Assembly after five years.