CANADA: Lecturers censure First Nations University

Saskatchewan's First Nations University of Canada is facing yet another crisis after the Canadian Association of University Teachers voted unanimously to censure the institution for failing to insulate itself from political interference and safeguard academic freedom, write Joe Friesen and Elizabeth Church in the Globe and Mail.


It is the latest in a string of setbacks that have plagued the university since 2005, and the first time in 29 years the CAUT has issued what it describes as a "measure of last resort". The censure means Canadian and foreign academics will be asked not to accept jobs or invitations to speak at the university. It is also considered a severe blow to a school's reputation.

"The problem is that it's an institution that does not have any reasonable degree of autonomy from the government that created it, which is the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations," said Jim Turk, executive director of the CAUT, which represents faculty at more than 120 Canadian universities and colleges.
Full report on the Globe and Mail site
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