Dear Mr. Rector and Vice-Chancellor, on November 4, you made public the report of the Committee on Academic Freedom chaired by the Honorable Michel Bastarache. You supported the recommendations and pointed out that it was a high-quality report that testifies to the importance of freedom of education for our university.
During the unveiling, knowing that all the media had their eyes on the university, you had a golden opportunity to restore our image, tarnished by the multiple controversies of the past year. Unfortunately, by insisting that the report must be submitted to the Senate for discussion before putting it into action, you gave the impression that your endorsement was fragile. It would have been more convincing if you immediately announced one or two concrete actions directly linked to the report’s recommendations, even if it means having them approved by the Senate afterwards.
But more importantly, we believe that you have missed a great opportunity to lay the groundwork for a reconciliation necessary to re-establish a bond of trust with our faculty community, a bond severely shaken by the multiple controversies of the past year ( see testimonies in Appendix B of the report).
Thus, we were disappointed by your refusal to admit in front of the media that the suspension of Professor Verushka Lieutenant-Duval, for the mention of a word considered offensive during a course, was a mistake.
Raising the union grievance to avoid the discussion sounded like a red herring. Yet the report’s authors clearly state that they “disagree with the exclusion of terms, works or ideas in the context of a respectful academic presentation or discussion and for educational and dissemination purposes. knowledge ”. And it is well established that Professor Lieutenant-Duval uttered the word in this context. Thus, it is obvious that if this error is not admitted, the professors will continue to censor themselves for fear of being criticized or condemned publicly without being defended by the institution.
PHOTO BONNIE FINDLEY, UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
Jacques Frémont, Rector of the University of Ottawa
So, for the well-being of our community and to free Verushka Lieutenant-Duval from this heavy unjust straitjacket, we ask our senior administration to be consistent with the recommendations of the report, to recognize the mistakes made and to accept the responsibilities. adjoining. This is an essential prerequisite for re-establishing the bond of trust between the senior administration and the university community.
Mr. Rector, the time for reconciliation has come. We are employees, graduates, professors and retirees who care about our university. We want to be proud of it. In order to fulfill its educational mission, our university must return to its primary mission, which is to offer a high quality academic environment to its community. So, we look forward to hearing your most sincere apologies from Professor Lieutenant-Duval and seeing the rapid implementation of the recommendations of the Bastarache report.
* List of other signatories of the University of Ottawa: Luc Angers, part-time professor; Denis Bachand, professor emeritus; Devin Beauregard, part-time professor; Marc-François Bernier, full professor; Ariane Bessette, graduate; Monia Brahim, part-time teacher; Ginette Boivin, graduate and retired employee; Louise Bouchard, full professor; Lise Breton Lépine, retired employee; Marc Brousseau, full professor; Thomas Burelli, associate professor; Lucia Cabeciera, retired employee; Jeannette Cardinal, retired employee; Joan Carey, retired employee; Vincent Caron, associate professor; Stuart Chambers, part-time professor; François Charbonneau, associate professor; Marie-Hélène Chomienne, assistant professor; Anne-Lise Clément, graduate; Raúl E. Colón, part-time professor; Sophie Cousineau, part-time teacher; Roselyn Delorme, graduate; Serge Denis, professor emeritus; Jean-Jacques Desgranges, graduate; Jean Delisle, professor emeritus; Julie Delorme, part-time professor; Francine Ducourneau, retired employee; Alexandre Dumas, associate professor; Nathalie Dumas, part-time professor; Pierre Foucher, retired professor; Jocelyne Gaumond, retired employee; François-Pierre Gingras, retired professor; Marie-Claude Girard, graduate; Carole Girouard, graduate and retired employee; Suzanne Gratton-Sarrazin, graduate and retired employee; Angela Haché, retired employee; Arlette Henry, retired employee; Dave Holmes, full professor; Lucie Hotte, full professor; Patrick Imbert, eminent and emeritus professor; Gilles Labelle, professor emeritus; Suzie Labelle, graduate and retired employee; Claudia Labrosse, graduate; Martin Lalumière, full professor; Carole Landriault, graduate; Jules Larivière, retired librarian; Chantal Laroche, full professor; Jorge Lazo-Cividanes, part-time professor; Marjolaine Létourneau, retired employee; Pierre Martel, part-time professor; Denise Moreau, associate professor; Isaac Nahon-Serfanty, associate professor; Lilan Negura, full professor; Michael O’Neill, part-time professor; Nelson Arturo Ovalle Diaz, part-time professor; Sylvie Paquerot, associate professor; Murielle Paradelle, associate professor; Amélie Perron, full professor; Linda Pietrantonio, associate professor; Caroline Plante, graduate; Stephane Poitras, full professor; Maxime Prévost, full professor; Jacinthe Savard, associate professor; Michael Sawada, full professor; Yasmina Sifrioui part-time professor; Davide Spinello, associate professor; Anaïs Tatossian, part-time professor; David Taylor, full professor; Jimmy Thibeault, graduate; Jocelyne Tourigny, professor emeritus; François Tremblay, full professor; Marie Tremblay-Chénier, graduate and retired employee
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