Joe Oliver: Having silenced critics, university admins think they can do no wrong
There is no suggestion that it might actually be a problem, which is remarkable given the widely known facts, which were extensively outlined in Harvard's 311-page report from its 'Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias.'
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The presidents of McGill and Concordia in Montreal both acknowledged that antisemitism is a ' significant problem ' at their universities. A class-action lawsuit has been launched against McGill for creating an antisemitic environment. The University of Toronto has been accused of having 'a long and sordid history of failing to protect Jewish learners, faculty and staff.'
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As a grateful alumnus of McGill and Harvard, I take no pleasure in identifying their failings, but I'm struck by how different the environment was when I attended classes in the 1950s and '60s. Back then, there was tolerance for diverse views, and it was unthinkable that students would be threatened or demonized based on their religion, ethnicity, race or country of origin. Of course, most students are not harassed now, but Israelis and Jews appear to be the exception.
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Administrators and faculty at Harvard (and other universities) have trouble accepting how they are perceived by the public: elitist, privileged, subsidized by taxpayers, charging high tuition, bloated by administrative staff, captured by DEI and other racially discriminatory admissions and hiring policies, and frequently advocating ideas that defy common sense. Operating in a groupthink bubble can lead to responses that underestimate and devalue criticism.
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The indoctrination of a woke mindset has implications beyond pampered university campuses. The division of society into the oppressed, who are perpetually victims, and oppressors, who are settler-colonizers and always the guilty party in any conflict, churns out students who loath western history and civilization and have contributed to the worst outbreak of global antisemitism since the defeat of Nazism 80 years ago.
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Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
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Montreal Gazette
2 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
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CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Two of Canada's most senior ministers head to Mexico to talk discuss trade
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