A new bill tabled in legislature Tuesday would prevent Alberta’s post-secondary institutions from taking a public stance on political, social or ideological issues that deviate from an academic purpose. Bill 38, or the Advanced Education Statutes Amendment Act, is a wide-ranging document that covers tuition fee regulation for non-international students, institutional neutrality as well as student and staff codes of conduct. Alberta Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall says universities should “stay in their lane” by ensuring a neutral environment for students to freely discuss their opinions, no matter how unpopular. He told reporters Tuesday it would require public and independent universities and colleges to establish and meet “freedom of expression policies,” which weren’t outlined in the bill but were expected to be solidified by next year. Specific penalties for not abiding by neutrality, he added, will be decided around that time, too. “The university should not take political positions except where they affect directly the interest of the university,” said professor emeritus of the University of Calgary, Tom Flanagan. Flanagan was debating residential schools earlier this year when he had water dumped on him. The school initially condemned the nature of the topic but defended the right for it to be debated on campus. “The expectation is that the institutions will provide the environment, the neutral environment, for different points of view, including those that may not be popular, to be expressed,” said McDougall. “I don’t think it has to be that complicated … I don’t see this as being a problem, I think most institutions already feel that this is the role of the institution.” ‘A huge waste of time’ The government is defining institutional neutrality as a school’s duty to “refrain from issuing statements that take positions on political, social or ideological issues that are not related to its academic mission.” Private and First Nations post-secondary institutions would not be affected should Bill 38 pass, the Alberta government added. Alberta NDP shadow minister for advanced education, David Eggen, says the bill “does very little” to address the more central problems of underfunding in post-secondary schools. “It’s a huge waste of time. Institutions all have their standards by which they operate under ... This government is trying to bring forward this culture war garbage they’re importing from the United States,” he told reporters on Tuesday. Institutions respond Southern Alberta Institute of Technology declined to comment on freedom of expression on campus and if tuition caps should be implemented. Mount Royal University (MRU) said in a statement that it “does not suppress presentations or debate based on the content of the views being expressed.” “It is not our role to shield members of our community from ideas they may disagree with; rather, it is to encourage civil discourse and debate of contested ideas,” read the statement. It adds it will comply with provincial reporting requirements. The University of Calgary says its firmly committed to both institutional neutrality and free expression. “In keeping with these commitments, the university as an institution does not take positions on political or ideological issues,” the statement read. “This does not limit the rights of our students, faculty and staff. In fact, it helps enable them. Within the bounds of the law and university policies and procedures, they remain free to express their views and to take part in the political process as individuals.” A former MRU academic, Frances Widdowson, has expressed her view on residential schools and mass graves that some found controversial. A lecture she planned to give at the University of Lethbridge was once cancelled and she was cited for trespassing. A justice called the decision fundamentally and fatally flawed for not protecting freedom of expression. “The problem is, is there’s no enforcement mechanism that’s in place,” said Widdowson. “Universities are not just about intellectual tools, having abstract discussions. They’re about the ability of people in a democratic society to be able to have open and honest discussions about a variety of topics.” Bill 38 passed first reading on Tuesday. With files from CTV Edmonton’s Hannah Kavanagh
