Dozens of Université Laval (UL) professors claim to be victims of abusive restrictions by the Laval University Research Ethics Committees (CERUL). They denounce having to wait a very long time before having the green light to carry out their research projects, and believe that the “rigid and finicky” approach is detrimental to the possibilities of discovery, the advancement of knowledge, creativity and academic freedom.
“The disarray of the colleagues, it is glaring, drops Madeleine Pastinelli, responsible for the file at the Syndicate of professors and professors of Laval University (SPUL). The committees would go further than what the rules require, and any original approach would be likely to get stuck during the ethics review. »
The union, which represents nearly 1,300 teachers, recently held a consultation on the subject after noting an increase in complaints in the past two years. More than 50 professors and directors of research centers and departments described in detail the pitfalls they are experiencing, in a report that describes a “particularly alarming and problematic” situation.
Professors and graduate students must apply to a CERUL when their research involves, for example, field trips, conducting interviews or the use of animals. These committees evaluate methodology and apply ethical laws and regulatory frameworks, with the aim of achieving a balance between the benefits of research and the protection of participants.
“What emerges from the testimonies is that the ethics committees seem particularly finicky and rigid, details Madeleine Pastinelli. As if they were in a process that aimed only to protect the university from any procedure. Some give up on approaches “that are yet recognized as scientifically valid, relevant, important and completely ethically acceptable”.
In the report, a researcher reports having had her research project blocked because it included “elements that could cause political reactions and could harm the image of Université Laval”. Almost all of those who testified requested anonymity, fearing that their confidences would harm their research projects as well as those of their students.
Denis Jeffrey, Full Professor and Director of the Center for Interuniversity Research on Training and the Teaching Profession, was the only one to agree to testify openly at the To have to. He is encountering problems for field research, he explained in an exchange of emails while he was outside the country.
“We ask them [aux comités] to play the game of scrupulous customs officers. And many play this role without critical distance, ”he denounces. To the point where he directs his students towards research without fieldwork.
Federal arrested
The SPUL sent a letter at the end of August to the presidents of the three granting councils of the federal government, responsible for the Policy statement that guides the work of university ethics committees, as well as to the management of the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ ).
“What we hope is that they intervene by issuing a call to order”, underlines Madeleine Pastinelli.
Contacted by The duty, the FRQ have indicated that they have no comments to make, but are following the file closely. Federal agencies will respond to the union in the coming weeks.
For its part, a spokeswoman indicated that the UL was open “to dialogue with all stakeholders” and that it gave the report “all the necessary attention”. The members of the committees “have the necessary training for the proper performance of their duties”, emphasizes Andrée-Anne Stewart.
She recalls that the CERULs are directed by professors active in research, and that several others participate in the committees as scientific members.
“The application of ethical rules is therefore largely in the hands of teachers, who are supported in their tasks by competent and professional administrative staff,” she says.