Funding cuts threatened for non-compliance

On August 30, the Government of Ontario announced a directive obliging every publicly-assisted college or university to “develop and publicly post its own free speech policy by January 1, 2019” or face funding cuts.  

In the statement, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities required each policy to adhere to a minimum standard set by the government but modelled after the University of Chicago’s Statement on the Principles of Free Expression. The four principles directly assert that universities are places of discussion and free inquiry, that they should not shield students from offensive ideas or opinions, that members of the university are free to criticize these views but not allowed to interfere with their expression, and that illegal speech is not permitted.  

To monitor the development of these policies, an annual report will be submitted starting next September to record the level of compliance from each university. 

The Progressive Conservative Party’s fake news service, Ontario News Now, stated in a video posted to Twitter that the budget cuts would come in the form of a “reduction in operating grant funding,” and that, on the level of student action, students who did not respect freedom of speech would be subject to disciplinary measures from their university. 

While there has been some criticism of the government’s statement from individual members of student bodies and faculty at a variety of universities, the statement has, officially, been accepted. 

The Council of Ontario Universities, of which the University of Toronto is a member, issued a statement on the same day that the directive was released: “Ontario universities share the Ontario government’s interest in protecting freedom of speech…we welcome further discussion with the government on how freedom of expression may continue to be protected.”  

According to the President of UofT, Meric Gertler, the University of Toronto has already made efforts to protect free expression with their own statements and policies. UofT News quoted President Gertler as saying that “our principles [of free speech] have served us well and must continue to guide our practices.” The Dean of Arts and Science, David Cameron, affirmed President Gertler’s words in his own statement, writing: “universities are places where many of society’s stresses and strains are experienced first or most acutely. As institutions of learning and discovery, they are also places which, uniquely, protect academic freedom and depend upon free expression to achieve their mission.” Thus, the direct effect of the Ford government’s free speech announcement and its affirmation from the Council of Ontario Universities is unlikely to change life on campus in a notable way, as the protections requested from the government have been in place since the 1990s.  

These protections, found at freespeech.utoronto.ca, explain that the 1992 Statement of Institutional Purpose and the Statement on Free Speech form the bedrock of UofT’s free speech protections—which were further expanded upon in the 2006 Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Excellence. In the Statement on Free Speech, which is similar to the University of Chicago’s Principles, UofT states, “all members of the University must have as a prerequisite freedom of speech and expression” and that “the University must allow the fullest range of debate. It should not limit that debate by preordaining conclusions, or punishing or inhibiting the reasonable exercise of free speech.” 

However, President Gertler also noted that “it’s important that members of our community understand the university’s policies on how we address these issues.” Furthermore, a requirement from the government announcement is that “existing student discipline measures apply to students whose actions are contrary to the policy.” This requirement is already in line with the University’s Policy on the Disruption of Meetings which condemns those who prevent speakers or campus activities from taking place. However, the specifics of these disciplinary measures are not defined in the document. 

Much of the criticism directed at the Ford government so far has not been an objection to the protection of free speech itself but rather the method of enforcement. In the Opinion sections of  The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and The Varsity, writers have noted that the threat to withhold funds is a step too far into university affairs. Nonetheless, though the government’s announcement has yet to be formally legislated or further defined by the Premier’s office, it appears as though UofT is already compliant to the intentions of the announcement.