The suspension of Verushka Lieutenant-Duval for using the “n-word” at the University of Ottawa caused much ink to flow in Quebec in the fall of 2020. The very idea that academics should henceforth silencing certain ideas or intellectual practices to spare the slightest susceptibility of their students has concerned many citizens, in particular journalists, professors, rectors and public decision-makers. To protect Quebec against such an attack, the legislator even created a commission whose report led to the adoption of a law on June 7th.
The ink was not yet dry on the document when Laval University undertook to flout this freedom by suspending for eight weeks without pay two professors, Patrick Provost, professor of biochemistry, internationally renowned researcher and specialist in ARN, as well as biology professor Nicolas Derome. Reason given: they dared to publicly question the safety of vaccines against COVID-19 and the relevance of vaccination in children.
In the first case, a colleague who was offended by Professor Provost’s assertions chose to lodge a complaint with the management of his university rather than simply discussing or debating with him publicly, as is the university tradition, thus taking up the strategy of censorship adopted by students at the University of Ottawa a year earlier…
At the end of an investigation by a committee led by a lawyer, but whose composition is not public, the administration of Université Laval concluded that there was confirmation bias, biased interpretations and, worse, delivery of polarizing information and a lack of accountability to the general public. However, it suffices to read the major scientific journals such as Nature Where Science to find, almost in each delivery, texts that sin in the same way without their authors being, for all that, repeatedly suspended by their institution.
There is no doubt, on reading these conclusions, that Université Laval acts against the freedoms essential to the fulfillment of the university mission. However, unlike the story of Lieutenant-Duval, the Provost affair aroused little public interest. Although the mainstream media that have reported the case descriptively agree on the controversial nature of the referral, most do not seem adept at presenting the fundamental and social issue without, at the same time, taking a position on the underlying debate that however, is a matter of science. As for the political world, apart from strong support for academic freedom on the part of Minister Danielle McCann, there is also radio silence.
If some consider academic freedom essential when the position under attack is the one they defend, they think it less relevant if the point is not unanimous. As if they could then arrogate to themselves the ultimate right to decide the truth and support censorship on anything that might call it into question, a position against the scientific method itself which is clearly that of Laval University.
As the philosopher of science Karl Popper explained almost a century ago, you can never prove a theory (other than a trivial one) in science, you can only constantly try to find fault with it. As for consensus, it is when it breaks out that science makes the greatest leaps, as the historian of science Thomas Kuhn has shown. Promoting this fragmentation is not easy, however: it is precisely necessary to target carefully chosen facts (confirmation bias and partial interpretations) and to defend their relevance against the dominant discourse (leading to polarizing information). Of course, every questioning turns out to be unfounded, and many researchers flounder in error for years. One success is enough, however, to remind us how essential the scientific method, which can only be disturbing, is to the development of knowledge.
Closer to home, the organic ethicists of the Quebec government themselves advanced in 2020, regarding the pandemic: “the reference to “science” cannot be presented as the sole source of public health decisions, without indicating in parallel the main areas of uncertainty and the reasons on which the decision is based despite the uncertainties, in particular the political reasons”.
Finally, the argument of the administration of Laval University regarding the breaches in front of the public arises in direct contradiction to the policy of the Quebec Research Funds and the various Canadian Councils which require that the work and interventions of professors be accessible. to the general public so that science can be deployed there in the most total openness. We cannot both protect the public and give them full access to the science in progress.
This is why the ultimate validity of the words of Professors Patrick Provost and Nicolas Derome cannot be at the heart of the issue here. This validity, often all in shades of gray, cannot be settled by a university administration or an anonymous committee led by a lawyer, but by a public scientific debate which is likely to last for many more years.
In light of the foregoing and in compliance with Law 32 on academic freedom, we therefore ask, regardless of our position on the vaccination against COVID, that the administration of Université Laval acknowledge its errors and to immediately lift the suspension of researchers Patrick Provost and Nicolas Derome.
*Co-signed this letter (in alphabetical order):
Claudine Allen, Professor, Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Optics, Université Laval
Guillaume Blum, Associate Professor, School of Design, Université Laval
Olivier Boiral, full professor, Laval University
Yv Bonnier Viger, medical specialist in public health and preventive medicine, regional director of public health for Gaspésie and the Islands and Professor, Department of social and preventive medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval
Pierre-Léo Bourbonnais Ph.D ing., research associate and lecturer, Polytechnique Montréal
Gilles Bronchti, Full Professor, Department of Anatomy, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières and President of the Union of Professors at UQTR
Julien Bureau, professor of education sciences, Laval University
Bonnie Campbell, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of Quebec in Montreal
Karine Collette, professor of discourse analysis, University of Sherbrooke
David Conciatori, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Water Engineering Université Laval
Alain Deneault, University of Moncton
Daniel Desroches, professor of philosophy, Collège Lionel-Groulx
Philippe Dubé, Associate Professor, Department of Historical Sciences, Université Laval
Myriam Ertz, Professor of Marketing, University of Quebec at Chicoutimi
Marie Fall, professor of geography and international cooperation, UQAC
Jean-Sébastien Fallu, Ph.D., professor at the School of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal
Louis Favreau, sociologist, professor emeritus, University of Quebec in Outaouais
Bernard Fruteau de Laclos, MD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University
Caroline Gagnon, full professor, Laval University
Jocelyn Gagnon, full professor, specialist in the effectiveness of intervention in physical education and sports, Université Laval
Laurence Guillaumie, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, Université Laval
Audrey Groleau, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières
Alain Goupil, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, UQTR
Pierre J. Hamel, INRS
Claudine Jouny, college nursing teacher
André Joyal, 4 times vaccinated, associate professor at UQTR
Amir Khadir, MD, Medical Microbiology-Infectiology, Le Gardeur Hospital
Caroline Laberge, family physician, clinical professor at Université Laval
Marie France Labrecque, Emeritus Professor, Anthropology, Laval University
Paul-André Lapointe, Professor, Department of Industrial Relations, Université Laval.
Frédéric Lasserre, Professor, Department of Geography, Université Laval
Hélène Makdissi, Full Professor – Laval University
Sylvain Marois, lecturer, Department of Industrial Relations Doctoral student in Industrial Relations, Laval University
Jean Michaud, professor of anthropology, Laval University
Louise Morand, Ph.D. Education, McGill U.
Normand Mousseau, professor of physics, University of Montreal
Patrick Mundler, Full Professor, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Université Laval
Paul H. Naccache, Full Professor (retired), Faculty of Medicine, Laval University
Dr Jean-Baptiste Paolini, anesthesiologist CIUSSS-NIM, clinical lecturer at the University of Montreal
Jean Paradis, retired director general of Collège d’Alma
Lise Parent, Professor of Environmental Sciences, TÉLUQ University
Madeleine Pastinelli, Full Professor, Department of Sociology, Université Laval
Chantal Pouliot, professor of science education, Laval University
A. Hadi Qaderi, political science teacher at Cegep de Saint-Jérôme
Christophe Reutenauer, professor of mathematics, UQAM
Dany Rondeau, professor of philosophy and ethics, University of Quebec at Rimouski
Alain Rouleau, professor emeritus, UQAC
Daniel R. Rousse, Full Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS
Jean Philippe Sapinski, Professor of Environmental Studies, Université de Moncton
Bernard Saulnier, Eng.
Lucie Sauvé, Emeritus Professor, Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Quebec in Montreal
Catherine Simard, professor of science education, UQAR
Hugh Thomas, professor of mathematics, UQAM, and holder of a Canada research chair.
Pier-Luc Turcotte, erg. PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa
Louise Vandelac, Ph.D. Full Professor, Department of Sociology and Institute of Environmental Sciences, UQAM