Academic freedom

In June 2022, the National Assembly of Quebec adopted the Act respecting academic freedom in the university sector, CQLR, chapter L-1.2, (the “Act”), requiring university-level institutions to establish a policy that specifically addresses academic freedom within the framework set by the legislation.

Ratified by Senate on May 19, 2023, the University’s Policy on Academic Freedom (the “Policy”) and its related Procedures regarding the Academic Freedom Committee (the “Procedures”) define Academic Freedom as the right of the Academic Member to engage freely and without doctrinal, ideological or moral constraint, such as institutional censorship, in an activity through which the Academic Member contributes to carrying out the mission of the University.

The University values the diversity of scientific and scholarly voices, methodologies and opinions that make up its academic community; it does not seek, through this or any other Policy, to hinder the free exchange of ideas or limit the discussion of difficult or controversial subjects.

An Academic Member’s right to Academic Freedom does not supersede, replace or modify the academic or pedagogical requirements related to a course or program and must be exercised and interpreted in a manner consistent with the University’s policies, guidelines and practices.

An academic member who wishes to file a complaint under the Policy must file a written complaint with the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic at academic.freedom@concordia.ca. A complaint should be accompanied by the relevant documentation and include a detailed description of the alleged violation. Complaints are reviewed under university policies, and appropriate action is taken.

The University has an Academic Freedom Committee for the 2024-2025 academic year. The membership composition is as follows:

Chair

• Anne Whitelaw, Provost and Vice-President, Academic

Appointed members

• Monica Mulrennan, Associate Vice-President, Research (Development and Impact), representing the Vice-President, Research, Innovation and Impact and Graduate Studies

Academic Deans/University Libarian Representative

• Véronique Pepin, Interim Dean, School of Heath

Full-time faculty/librarian members (appointed by CUFA)

• Ian Rakita (Finance)
• Olivier Charbonneau (Library)
• Adel Jebali (Études françaises)

Part-time faculty members (appointed by CUPFA)

• Nick Papatheodorakos (Management)
• Patrice Blais (Political Science)

Graduate student (appointed by GSA)

• Muhammad Ilyas Nadeem (Phd, Health and Exercise Sciences)

Undergraduate student (appointed by CSU)

• Vanessa Massot (Arts and Science)