[Music]
it’s Canada’s moment in the world and
I’ve heard this at more than one
institution more than one setting in the
last few months in the last few weeks
especially but I want to start the
conversation with wondering why that is
Canada is absolutely one of the most
beautiful places in the world but I
don’t think that’s news to anyone
particularly in this room our national
animal majestic yes but hardly the
object of global envy our art our
architecture our literature our science
and engineering have all received
international recognition but I don’t
think that’s it either it’s our food and
drink except that when I’m traveling a
lot of my friends who are not Canadian
suggests that our cuisine is based on
food that looks like it’s mostly a dare
I would argue that although all of these
are part of our national psyche what
make what is making Canada’s moment in
the world is our values our charter
enshrines a number of values including
free speech freedom of the press
language rights and indigenous rights
and I’m going to speak this evening
about the indispensable role that
universities play in the transmission of
these values and how they promote the
development of ethical citizens who
debate the values and by doing so extend
them most of us when we think about
universities think about discovering
innovation the research agenda that
universities have how our scholarly and
creative work and practice make our
country better make our communities
better and build the very things that we
value in community we also tend to think
about how universities work to teach our
students and adults about our creative
pieces that will teach people to become
a
kurz creators and doers and how these
makers creators and doers make our
communities richer and build them into
from the inside out I would argue though
that the single and most simple thing
that universities do is enable the
development of ethical citizens these
citizens exemplify the Charter and
commit and they exemplify the
University’s commitment to diversity
equity and inclusion much of the public
discourse is about research teaching
jobs I’d like to shift that discourse to
talk about values about how universities
fundamentally support our Charter values
and how the values of diversity equity
and inclusion result in resilient
communities that are the result of
ethical citizens working together and
debating together and man I can tell you
University’s debate we debate and then
we debate about the debate and then we
have a debate about that debate often
our debates are only about things that
are interest to ourselves but often
universities debate hard ideas difficult
ideas ideas that are distasteful to some
academic freedom and free and open
debate are at the heart of what
universities do and they make us all
richer for that it is one of the central
ways in which we uphold our Charter
values and make for a stronger Canada
and we must protect our ability to
engage in these conversations and
protect the freedom of universities to
engage in this research scholarly work
and creative practice to challenge the
status quo regardless of whether we are
uncomfortable with it or if it makes us
squishy that’s a technical term that
these ideas inform our teaching is vital
and allow us to inform our students
about the points of disagreement among
our communities about the variety of
viewpoints they’re in and giving them
the skills they need to make up their
own minds and set their own tone for
their own lives but too often
universities and elsewhere the
respectful and civil discussion of
difficult ideas is not reported and
instead the focus is on disruption
leading some people to think that free
speech is under attack at universities
and maybe it is at some universities in
some countries I would suggest that this
perspective is a misunderstanding
resulting from the reporting of events
and how we engage with the communities
that surround us let’s be honest we live
in a post truth world one that has a
viewpoint that not only are people
entitled to their opinions but they’re
entitled to their own facts
too often we judge debates by whom the
pundits said one and how they fit with
our own worldview I know that I’m guilty
of that but this isn’t a popularity
contest not in academia one of the
biggest challenges that have come and
changes that come in society come from
people who stand on the sidelines who
use their values to say I think this is
wrong and I think we need to change an
academic debate the value is not in
winning or losing it’s in how you listen
to others how you format your argument
and how that argument may change the
mind of other people and yourself this
is how the university supports the
Charter and builds communities by
providing a place like here tonight to
have free and respectful exchange of
ideas too often we see ad hominem
attacks appeals to populism and the like
in Yan Verner Mueller’s book what is
populism he argues that people often
wouldn’t use the argument of populism
just without defining it very well and
using it as a term that loosely
encapsulates a an idea that evokes the
idea that ordinary people are taking
power back from elites but too often
populism is used to devalue the rights
of others to speak the to devalue the
legitimate dissemination of ideas of
others this is contrary to the values of
this institution the values of Edmonton
and the values of Canada I will say this
often I’m asked to give my own opinion
about what is going on in political or
social venues I try not to not because I
don’t have an opinion I absolutely do
and many of the things that happen
dismay me but because someone who’s done
quite a little bit of research in
psychology over the years I tend to know
that an opinion as a president tends to
stifle the opinions of others and not
allow the kinds of discourse that I want
to encourage to happen I would
respectfully posit as well as you’ve
seen tonight there are many other
scholars in our myths who are far better
positioned to give opinions that are
founded in their own research and
scholarly work than myself it’s my job
as the president to make sure they have
that forum to defend their right to do
that research and to ensure that they
provide you with the information so that
you can make up your own mind on these
opinions and planned positions that
being said unlike our neighbors to the
south Canada has laws about what
constitutes hate speech hate speech I’m
not a legal scholar hate speech is that
which promotes genocide or promotes
hatred towards identifiable groups thus
universities must stand for the legal
freedom of speech thus I would argue
though – we need to understand that all
distasteful and ideas that make us maybe
uncomfortable or offend us may not
actually cross the line into hate speech
and there will be times when
universities have to engage in debate
about those topics – if these positions
challenge preconceptions and move across
disciplinary borders so much the better
as sort of an offside comment I think
that the big challenges of today’s
society will require transdisciplinary
approaches to do so so these kinds of
conversations actually move us in a
direction that is also consistent with
the values of a university finally well
not quite finally but however we don’t
arrive at university with a with a full
debate toolkit I know that I sure don’t
have them some days to engage with those
who have very different perspectives and
realities than I
than we do and to engage in
conversations that are hard and
challenging about sensitive topics we
need to use the opportunities we have at
universities to educate our students and
ourselves about ways in which we can
engage others in these conversations so
that we can fully fully examine them
from all perspectives to come to a true
Canadian perspective on them the last
thing I’d like to touch on though is I
wonder sometimes if as Canadians we are
too reserved to engage in the types of
conversations I’ve said I’ve been in too
many meetings where they have been
dominated by one viewpoint only to find
out afterwards that the majority
viewpoint was not the same as that and
many people remained silent indeed we
have a number of examples globally where
I suspect many people and the majority
are silent and only a small minority of
people are expressing an opinion
I urge each and every one of you to
stand up to use the rights and freedoms
that we have from the Charter to engage
in expressing your opinion it is
worthwhile so if we are to remain strong
and free as universities and communities
to advance the Canadian agenda and to
remain in Canada’s moment in the world
we need to ensure that universities are
able to focus on free and respectful
discourse about hard topics allowing us
to develop as ethical citizens and
communities which in my opinion is our
most important job and the results of
which you’ve seen tonight thank you
[Applause]
it’s Canada’s moment in the world and
I’ve heard this at more than one
institution more than one setting in the
last few months in the last few weeks
especially but I want to start the
conversation with wondering why that is
Canada is absolutely one of the most
beautiful places in the world but I
don’t think that’s news to anyone
particularly in this room our national
animal majestic yes but hardly the
object of global envy our art our
architecture our literature our science
and engineering have all received
international recognition but I don’t
think that’s it either it’s our food and
drink except that when I’m traveling a
lot of my friends who are not Canadian
suggests that our cuisine is based on
food that looks like it’s mostly a dare
I would argue that although all of these
are part of our national psyche what
make what is making Canada’s moment in
the world is our values our charter
enshrines a number of values including
free speech freedom of the press
language rights and indigenous rights
and I’m going to speak this evening
about the indispensable role that
universities play in the transmission of
these values and how they promote the
development of ethical citizens who
debate the values and by doing so extend
them most of us when we think about
universities think about discovering
innovation the research agenda that
universities have how our scholarly and
creative work and practice make our
country better make our communities
better and build the very things that we
value in community we also tend to think
about how universities work to teach our
students and adults about our creative
pieces that will teach people to become
a
kurz creators and doers and how these
makers creators and doers make our
communities richer and build them into
from the inside out I would argue though
that the single and most simple thing
that universities do is enable the
development of ethical citizens these
citizens exemplify the Charter and
commit and they exemplify the
University’s commitment to diversity
equity and inclusion much of the public
discourse is about research teaching
jobs I’d like to shift that discourse to
talk about values about how universities
fundamentally support our Charter values
and how the values of diversity equity
and inclusion result in resilient
communities that are the result of
ethical citizens working together and
debating together and man I can tell you
University’s debate we debate and then
we debate about the debate and then we
have a debate about that debate often
our debates are only about things that
are interest to ourselves but often
universities debate hard ideas difficult
ideas ideas that are distasteful to some
academic freedom and free and open
debate are at the heart of what
universities do and they make us all
richer for that it is one of the central
ways in which we uphold our Charter
values and make for a stronger Canada
and we must protect our ability to
engage in these conversations and
protect the freedom of universities to
engage in this research scholarly work
and creative practice to challenge the
status quo regardless of whether we are
uncomfortable with it or if it makes us
squishy that’s a technical term that
these ideas inform our teaching is vital
and allow us to inform our students
about the points of disagreement among
our communities about the variety of
viewpoints they’re in and giving them
the skills they need to make up their
own minds and set their own tone for
their own lives but too often
universities and elsewhere the
respectful and civil discussion of
difficult ideas is not reported and
instead the focus is on disruption
leading some people to think that free
speech is under attack at universities
and maybe it is at some universities in
some countries I would suggest that this
perspective is a misunderstanding
resulting from the reporting of events
and how we engage with the communities
that surround us let’s be honest we live
in a post truth world one that has a
viewpoint that not only are people
entitled to their opinions but they’re
entitled to their own facts
too often we judge debates by whom the
pundits said one and how they fit with
our own worldview I know that I’m guilty
of that but this isn’t a popularity
contest not in academia one of the
biggest challenges that have come and
changes that come in society come from
people who stand on the sidelines who
use their values to say I think this is
wrong and I think we need to change an
academic debate the value is not in
winning or losing it’s in how you listen
to others how you format your argument
and how that argument may change the
mind of other people and yourself this
is how the university supports the
Charter and builds communities by
providing a place like here tonight to
have free and respectful exchange of
ideas too often we see ad hominem
attacks appeals to populism and the like
in Yan Verner Mueller’s book what is
populism he argues that people often
wouldn’t use the argument of populism
just without defining it very well and
using it as a term that loosely
encapsulates a an idea that evokes the
idea that ordinary people are taking
power back from elites but too often
populism is used to devalue the rights
of others to speak the to devalue the
legitimate dissemination of ideas of
others this is contrary to the values of
this institution the values of Edmonton
and the values of Canada I will say this
often I’m asked to give my own opinion
about what is going on in political or
social venues I try not to not because I
don’t have an opinion I absolutely do
and many of the things that happen
dismay me but because someone who’s done
quite a little bit of research in
psychology over the years I tend to know
that an opinion as a president tends to
stifle the opinions of others and not
allow the kinds of discourse that I want
to encourage to happen I would
respectfully posit as well as you’ve
seen tonight there are many other
scholars in our myths who are far better
positioned to give opinions that are
founded in their own research and
scholarly work than myself it’s my job
as the president to make sure they have
that forum to defend their right to do
that research and to ensure that they
provide you with the information so that
you can make up your own mind on these
opinions and planned positions that
being said unlike our neighbors to the
south Canada has laws about what
constitutes hate speech hate speech I’m
not a legal scholar hate speech is that
which promotes genocide or promotes
hatred towards identifiable groups thus
universities must stand for the legal
freedom of speech thus I would argue
though – we need to understand that all
distasteful and ideas that make us maybe
uncomfortable or offend us may not
actually cross the line into hate speech
and there will be times when
universities have to engage in debate
about those topics – if these positions
challenge preconceptions and move across
disciplinary borders so much the better
as sort of an offside comment I think
that the big challenges of today’s
society will require transdisciplinary
approaches to do so so these kinds of
conversations actually move us in a
direction that is also consistent with
the values of a university finally well
not quite finally but however we don’t
arrive at university with a with a full
debate toolkit I know that I sure don’t
have them some days to engage with those
who have very different perspectives and
realities than I
than we do and to engage in
conversations that are hard and
challenging about sensitive topics we
need to use the opportunities we have at
universities to educate our students and
ourselves about ways in which we can
engage others in these conversations so
that we can fully fully examine them
from all perspectives to come to a true
Canadian perspective on them the last
thing I’d like to touch on though is I
wonder sometimes if as Canadians we are
too reserved to engage in the types of
conversations I’ve said I’ve been in too
many meetings where they have been
dominated by one viewpoint only to find
out afterwards that the majority
viewpoint was not the same as that and
many people remained silent indeed we
have a number of examples globally where
I suspect many people and the majority
are silent and only a small minority of
people are expressing an opinion
I urge each and every one of you to
stand up to use the rights and freedoms
that we have from the Charter to engage
in expressing your opinion it is
worthwhile so if we are to remain strong
and free as universities and communities
to advance the Canadian agenda and to
remain in Canada’s moment in the world
we need to ensure that universities are
able to focus on free and respectful
discourse about hard topics allowing us
to develop as ethical citizens and
communities which in my opinion is our
most important job and the results of
which you’ve seen tonight thank you
[Applause]
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