CCFA Endorses the FPSE Call for the Immediate Resignation of the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills

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The Camosun College Faculty Association endorses the following FPSE statement and actions.

The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC (FPSE) joined today with our national partners, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), in writing to Premier David Eby to call for the immediate resignation of Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. Minister Robinson inappropriately intervened in the termination of a Langara College employee for controversial remarks on the war in Gaza. The Minister’s subsequent statements on the matter undermine the democratic principles of freedom of expression, academic freedom, and a college and university system free of direct manipulation by the provincial government.

“Dr. Natalie Knight was cleared by the internal Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression Advisory Committee at Langara College with respect to her October 28 remarks, and her January 23 remarks were clearly Charter-protected, but the Minister continued to press for her termination,” said Michael Conlon, Executive Director of FPSE. “The notion that a Minister would intervene directly with a college and call for the termination of a tenured faculty member is highly inappropriate and unprecedented. We will assist the Langara Faculty Association in grieving this unjustified termination,” continued Conlon.

The Early Edition with Stephen Quinn – Feb. 2, 2024: B.C.’s Post-Secondary Education Minister under fire

Interview with FPSE Executive Director’ Michael Conlon

On January 25, Minister Robinson used her X account to share a call by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) for Langara to fire Dr. Knight. Minister Robinson later confirmed that she had met with the College to express concerns about Dr. Knight’s reinstatement. Dr. Knight was terminated on January 26. We are also concerned that the Minister had inappropriate access to confidential employment information about Dr. Knight. We have given Langara several opportunities to assure us that no such private information was shared, but they have been unwilling to do so.

“Dr. Knight’s comments were clearly hurtful to some in the Jewish community, but the reality is that freedom of expression applies to speech we may well find offensive. Free speech is meaningless if it is reserved only for speech we agree with. That the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills either doesn’t understand or doesn’t respect the Charter right to freedom of expression disqualifies her from holding this office,” said Brent Calvert, President of FPSE. 

In a panel discussion hosted by B’nai Brith Canada on January 30, the Minister indicated that she had been pressuring college and university presidents in BC to police speech related to the war in Gaza.

“I was shocked to read the Minister’s comments about Dr. Knight and even more alarmed by her remarks in the B’nai Brith Canada forum. They represent a brazen attack on academic freedom and freedom of expression. We have written Premier Eby to call for Minister Robinson’s immediate resignation on behalf of our 72,000 members,” said David Robinson, Executive Director of CAUT. “We have assured FPSE that CAUT will provide all necessary resources to protect academic freedom in BC and ensure that Dr. Knight receives due process in this matter,” he concluded. 

For more information, please see the following documents:

Added February 2, 2024:

Media inquiries:
Michael Conlon, Executive Director, FPSE
604.873.8988, ext. 109
ac.espf@ofni

If you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech for views you don’t like. [Stalin] was in favour of freedom of speech for views he liked.

…If you’re in favour of freedom of speech, that means you’re in favour of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise.

—Noam Chomsky, a leading critic of U.S. foreign policy, contemporary capitalism, U.S. involvement and Israel’s role in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and professor at the University of Arizona

Camosun College Faculty Association Collective Agreement

Clause 33. ACADEMIC FREEDOM

There shall be no infringement or abridgment of the academic freedom of any Faculty Member. Society benefits from the search for knowledge and its free exposition. Academic freedom is essential to both these purposes in the teaching function of the College as well as in scholarship and research.

Academic freedom is the freedom to examine, question, teach, and learn and it involves the right to investigate, speculate, and comment without regard to prescribed doctrine. Academic freedom ensures the following:

  • (a) freedom in the conduct of teaching;
  • (b) freedom in undertaking research and publishing or making public the results thereof, without infringing upon the College’s copyright privileges;
  • (c) freedom from institutional censorship.

Academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in a responsible way and in a manner consistent with the scholarly obligation to base teaching and research on an honest search for knowledge and the obligation to follow the curriculum requirements of the instructional assignment.

The CCFA stands with our Langara Faculty Association colleagues, FPSE, and CAUT for upholding the rights of their individual member and protecting the Academic Freedom and freedom of expression for all members of our profession.

Lynelle Yutani, CCFA President 2021-2023

Lynelle Yutani (she/they)
ac.ytlucafnusomac@tnediserp

President, Camosun College Faculty Association

Lynelle is a queer, leftist rabble-rouser galvanized to guard the rights of union members and is on a crusade to convince you that you get out of your Union what you put into it. Lynelle serves on Presidents Council of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE) and was elected to FPSE Executive as a Member-at-Large. She is on a number of FPSE affiliate committees, including the 2SLGBTQIA+ and Racialized Workers Caucuses for the BC Fed, and is active in the Victoria Labour Congress. Lynelle also serves as V.P. of her Strata Council & oversees a rooftop community garden which partners with Harvest & Share Food Aid Society to grow fresh produce for local foodbanks and community food security programs.