TORONTO, Dec. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yesterday, Colleges Ontario released their free speech policy mandating its implementation at all 21 Ontario colleges in the new year.
In August 2018, the government announced that all colleges and universities in Ontario must have a free speech policy in place by January 2019. Since then various universities have scrambled to finalize their institution-specific policy. In a majority of these cases, administrations have used existing bodies or have formed committees with student and faculty seats to create said policy. Colleges however, have opted to quietly and secretly create one policy for all 21 colleges without any faculty or student consultations.
“The irony of Colleges Ontario developing a free speech policy without consultation from any on-campus stakeholders, speaks to the lack of credibility students and faculty give to this policy,” said Nour Alideeb, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. Alideeb further added, “The Progressive Conservative government’s directive to have free speech policies in place that are tied to public funding is problematic and should be challenged. This directive threatens to cut increasingly underfunded institutions and will endanger research, teaching and the overall quality of post-secondary education in our province.”
As part of the process of approval for the college free speech policy, the 21-college board of governors are asked to vote and ratify this policy. Most of these board members are not campus stakeholders or have any experience or knowledge with free speech policy creation, making this a rubber-stamping process for Colleges Ontario.
“Colleges Ontario is working backwards in getting this policy approved by the board of governors. There are existing committees and on-campus student and faculty groups that would have willingly contributed to this work,” said Alideeb. “The approach taken by Colleges Ontario signals to students that the quickest way to get policy approved is by avoiding consultation, which in turn will create problematic and unsound policy.”
Colleges Ontario’s lack of consultation on a policy this crucial to students and faculty, implies their complicit in the approach Ford’s government is using free speech to shut down student and faculty activism.
For more information contact:
Ian McRae, Government Relations and Policy Coordinator: 416-925-3825 or 306-852-0128 (cell)
Nour Alideeb, Chairperson: 416-925-3825