Cory Morgan: Alberta's Push for University Neutrality Sets an Example for Canada
Commentary Universities were never meant to function as political actors. Their purpose is the disciplined pursuit of knowledge and the cultivation of independent judgment. Ideas are to be exchanged and debated, not cancelled. When an institution begins speaking with one official voice on contested ideological questions, it abandons that purpose. Alberta’s Bill 38, which would [...]
Universities should not act as political entities, but rather focus on the pursuit of knowledge and fostering independent judgment through open debate. Alberta’s Bill 38 proposes requiring post-secondary institutions to adopt formal policies of institutional neutrality. By endorsing one side of political disputes, public universities, funded by diverse taxpayers, risk losing legitimacy and narrowing the scope of academic inquiry.
- Universities’ primary purpose is the pursuit of knowledge and independent judgment, not political action.
- Ideas should be exchanged and debated, not canceled.
- When an institution speaks with a single official voice on ideological issues, it deviates from its purpose.
- Alberta’s Bill 38 aims to ensure institutional neutrality in post-secondary institutions.
- Individual expression within universities should be protected, but the institution itself should remain neutral.
- Public universities funded by taxpayers with differing views should not endorse partisan platforms.
- Official institutional endorsements can chill academic inquiry and narrow the range of acceptable questions.
- A university acting as a filter rather than a forum undermines its educational mission.
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