“We will not make any comment on this matter. »
This was the response sent to The Press Friday by the office of Pascale Déry, Minister of Higher Education, regarding the refusal by the Council of Ministers to ratify the appointment of researcher Denise Helly.
Friday, The Press revealed this affair of appointment blocked by the Legault government and the fear of the Quebec Federation of University Professors (FQPPU) that it could be an attack on the autonomy of universities.
Specializing in issues of minority rights, Islamophobia and hate speech, Denise Helly is a researcher at the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS). Her peers chose her, as did their colleague Sophie Duchesne, who works on drinking water issues, to sit on the INRS board of directors.
The appointment of Mme Duchesne was ratified by the Legault government on November 29. That of Mme Helly was rejected by Quebec, without explanation, while the thing is normally a formality, according to the FQPPU and the INRS.
Reacting by email on Friday, INRS said it had indicated to the Ministry of Higher Education “that not appointing a professor designated by its assembly was unusual and contravened, according to it, university autonomy. This is a matter that is taken very seriously by the establishment.”
Looking for clarification
INRS belongs to the University of Quebec network. Asked to react, its president, Alexandre Cloutier, explained that “the independence of the management of our universities is a very important element for the establishments of the University of Quebec. The constitution of boards of directors is a priority. We are concerned about the situation and are already in contact with Minister Déry’s team to obtain clarifications.”
The University of Quebec added that a meeting would take place at the end of January with the minister’s team.
In 2015, Mme Helly organized a conference on Islamophobia in which Adil Charkaoui, a controversial imam, participated.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE INRS SITE
Denise Helly, full professor at INRS
In an interview on Friday, she explained to The Press that she then gave the floor “to all the Muslim associations who were willing to come”.
Adil Charkaoui, who was at the time coordinator of the Quebec Collective Against Islamophobia, took part.
As a researcher, “I’m going to see everyone, because it’s my job,” she says on the phone, saying that it would be unprofessional of her not to try to speak to everyone involved in her work. field of study.
Colleagues have also just reminded him that a little later, “a small brochure” was given to him by Charkaoui in recognition of his research, as he did for a few other academics.
So she saw Adil Charkaoui in those years, “but he’s neither my boyfriend nor my boyfriend,” laughs the octogenarian, saying she hasn’t seen him since then.
In any case, in his opinion, his nomination blocked by Quebec has nothing to do with that.
She rather thinks, on reflection, that it is probably her very critical and public positions against the charter of values and against the Law on State Secularism (law 21) which are in question.