Latest news with #PascaleDéry
Cision Canada
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Cision Canada
Relight the Beacon: In the Face of Political and Economic Interference, the FQPPU Rekindles the Fight to Restore the University's Public Mission Français
AT A GLANCE: Three years after the Law, a stark reality: Despite the adoption of Quebec's Loi sur la liberté académique in 2022, universities face growing political interference, institutional inertia, and a global climate of academic freedom in decline. In Quebec, Minister Pascale Déry has significantly weakened the university's public mission rather than protecting it. An ambitious campaign to relight the beacon: FQPPU launches a campaign to bring the university's mission back to the heart of democratic debate. Its manifesto, Relight the Beacon, defends five essential pillars of the university's public purpose: public funding, academic freedom, collegial governance, institutional autonomy, and resistance to the commodification of knowledge. A call to action to end silent erosion:"We want university underfunding and political interference to become shameful and politically costly," says Madeleine Pastinelli. FQPPU calls on society to reclaim ownership of its universities. MONTREAL, June 3, 2025 /CNW/ - Three years after the passage of the Loi sur la liberté académique dans le milieu universitaire, Quebec's universities remain vulnerable to the very threats the legislation was meant to guard against. The promise of an environment conducive to learning, research, and debate has clashed with a sobering reality: institutions are slow to implement the awareness-raising, information, and promotional measures required by the law (as revealed by access-to-information reports), even as academic freedom violations multiply. In 2025, Quebec is not immune to a global trend, documented by the Academic Freedom Index, of declining academic freedom, even in long-standing democracies. Here, Minister Pascale Déry's harmful actions—including her refusal to acknowledge threats from the U.S. against researchers, as well as her interference in teaching content and faculty appointments —have hollowed out the very ministry charged with protecting this freedom. On this grim anniversary, the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université (FQPPU) declares it is time to restore the public mission of universities. Relight the Beacon: A Mobilization to Restore the University's Mission This global erosion of academic freedom is but a symptom of a broader storm—declining collegiality, threats to institutional autonomy, budgetary manipulation, and managerial drift—that directly undermines the university's fundamental democratic role. In response, FQPPU today unveils Relight the Beacon, a rallying manifesto calling for engagement and resistance. It marks the launch of a campaign to restore the university's capacity to fulfill its public mission. "The university is not a brand to be sold, nor a parrot for political and economic rhetoric serving private interests," said Madeleine Pastinelli, president of FQPPU. "The university must remain a beacon for the public—where critical thinking can challenge, where truth is not negotiable, and where society can reflect and imagine alternative futures." In a climate of increasing cynicism, polarization, and disinformation, the Federation invites all those committed to free inquiry and democratic vitality to join this movement. Adopted unanimously by FQPPU's Federal Council in April, the campaign centers on five pillars essential to the university's mission, all under serious threat: A massive and sustained reinvestment in universities as a public good Full protection of academic freedom Authentic collegial governance Concrete measures to ensure institutional autonomy A united front against the commodification of knowledge This mobilization aims to reignite public debate on the university's role in democratic life and to underscore its status as a cornerstone of our society. "We also want political interference in universities—or budget cuts to higher education and research—to be seen as shameful, politically costly, and socially unacceptable," Pastinelli added. "The university's mission is too important to be surrendered to interests that do not serve the common good. It's time we reclaim it, together." Let us recall that on May 13, FQPPU called for the immediate resignation of Minister Pascale Déry, whose repeated actions have broken all trust with the university communities.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Relight the Beacon: In the Face of Political and Economic Interference, the FQPPU Rekindles the Fight to Restore the University's Public Mission
AT A GLANCE: Three years after the Law, a stark reality: Despite the adoption of Quebec's Loi sur la liberté académique in 2022, universities face growing political interference, institutional inertia, and a global climate of academic freedom in decline. In Quebec, Minister Pascale Déry has significantly weakened the university's public mission rather than protecting it. An ambitious campaign to relight the beacon: FQPPU launches a campaign to bring the university's mission back to the heart of democratic debate. Its manifesto, Relight the Beacon, defends five essential pillars of the university's public purpose: public funding, academic freedom, collegial governance, institutional autonomy, and resistance to the commodification of knowledge. A call to action to end silent erosion: "We want university underfunding and political interference to become shameful and politically costly," says Madeleine Pastinelli. FQPPU calls on society to reclaim ownership of its universities. MONTREAL, June 3, 2025 /CNW/ - Three years after the passage of the Loi sur la liberté académique dans le milieu universitaire, Quebec's universities remain vulnerable to the very threats the legislation was meant to guard against. The promise of an environment conducive to learning, research, and debate has clashed with a sobering reality: institutions are slow to implement the awareness-raising, information, and promotional measures required by the law (as revealed by access-to-information reports), even as academic freedom violations multiply. In 2025, Quebec is not immune to a global trend, documented by the Academic Freedom Index, of declining academic freedom, even in long-standing democracies. Here, Minister Pascale Déry's harmful actions—including her refusal to acknowledge threats from the U.S. against researchers, as well as her interference in teaching content and faculty appointments—have hollowed out the very ministry charged with protecting this freedom. On this grim anniversary, the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université (FQPPU) declares it is time to restore the public mission of universities. Relight the Beacon: A Mobilization to Restore the University's MissionThis global erosion of academic freedom is but a symptom of a broader storm—declining collegiality, threats to institutional autonomy, budgetary manipulation, and managerial drift—that directly undermines the university's fundamental democratic role. In response, FQPPU today unveils Relight the Beacon, a rallying manifesto calling for engagement and resistance. It marks the launch of a campaign to restore the university's capacity to fulfill its public mission. "The university is not a brand to be sold, nor a parrot for political and economic rhetoric serving private interests," said Madeleine Pastinelli, president of FQPPU. "The university must remain a beacon for the public—where critical thinking can challenge, where truth is not negotiable, and where society can reflect and imagine alternative futures." In a climate of increasing cynicism, polarization, and disinformation, the Federation invites all those committed to free inquiry and democratic vitality to join this movement. Adopted unanimously by FQPPU's Federal Council in April, the campaign centers on five pillars essential to the university's mission, all under serious threat: A massive and sustained reinvestment in universities as a public good Full protection of academic freedom Authentic collegial governance Concrete measures to ensure institutional autonomy A united front against the commodification of knowledge This mobilization aims to reignite public debate on the university's role in democratic life and to underscore its status as a cornerstone of our society. "We also want political interference in universities—or budget cuts to higher education and research—to be seen as shameful, politically costly, and socially unacceptable," Pastinelli added. "The university's mission is too important to be surrendered to interests that do not serve the common good. It's time we reclaim it, together." Let us recall that on May 13, FQPPU called for the immediate resignation of Minister Pascale Déry, whose repeated actions have broken all trust with the university communities. Since 1991, the FQPPU is the representative body of university faculty in Quebec. SOURCE Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université (FQPPU) View original content to download multimedia: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
CÉGEP profs, unions call for Quebec's minister of higher education to resign
The calls for Pascale Déry to step down come after recent budget cuts and tension over an investigation into on-campus climate at Montreal's Dawson and Vanier colleges, launched a few months ago. But, other groups are throwing their support behind the minister.
Montreal Gazette
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Balancing academic freedom with safety on campus
The open letter by CEGEP teachers demanding the resignation of Minister Pascale Déry puts a spotlight on the challenges of maintaining both safety and freedom of speech on campuses and the difficult tightrope the government must walk to navigate this balance. The conflict in the Middle East evokes strong emotions that have exploded into educational spaces. Allegations of harassment and inappropriate use of classroom time has given rise to the investigation by the ministry of higher education. This comes amid another investigation by various groups into dozens of antisemitic, racist and misogynistic slurs by Quebec medical school applicants on the popular social media platform Discord. Schools must remain places where academic freedom and open dialogue are cherished, but there is a limit to this freedom when students do not feel safe on campus and teachers cannot be trusted to maintain neutrality in their course content. The investigation by the ministry aims to ensure a respectful and peaceful climate in our schools. Our government not only has a right to deal with racism and antisemitism head-on, it has an obligation to do so. Marcy Bruck, The Foundation for Genocide Education, Montreal Anglos helped build Quebec, too Re: ' 'Go Habs Go' fiasco wasn't a one-off ' (Allison Hanes, May 2) Allison Hanes has hit the nail on the head. While we mock and criticize the 'language police,' they are doing their job according to the laws and policies of the Quebec government. With its approach and attitude of disrespect — and all-out campaign against the use of English in Quebec — it seems clear the CAQ government refuses to acknowledge the important role the anglophone community has played in the growth and development of our province. Gerry Raven, Hampstead Respect must be a two-way street In his first comments after being sworn in, Prime Minister Mark Carney described Canada as 'a country built on the bedrock of three peoples: Indigenous, French and British,' and called the Crown a link to 'Canada's proud British heritage.' We are used to being hit over the head with notions of Quebec's unique French heritage, but let us not forget that English Canada has a heritage and identity as well. The history of the Crown is intimately tied to all three of our founding peoples. It is the reason the Loyalists fled the American Revolution. It is the source of security for our treaties with Indigenous Peoples. And it offered the continuation of the French language, civil law and Catholic religion at a time when these were under severe pressure from American expansionism. Canada is careful to tiptoe around matters of identity, as Quebec rightly demands respect for its distinct society. But to get respect, you must give respect. Jordan Black, Rosemont Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The FQPPU Calls for the Resignation of Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry
IN BRIEF: Discredited and disconnected leadership. Pascale Déry has weakened the policy tools of higher education, hollowed out her ministry's mission, and ignored major crises —from funding to artificial intelligence— by downplaying the issues and evading responsibility. Actions incompatible with her role. Political interference, disregard for academic freedom, and lacklustre AI consultations: the minister has acted contrary to the principles she is meant to uphold, resulting in a complete breakdown of confidence in university communities. A clear call to turn the page. The FQPPU demands her immediate resignation: the higher education system needs visionary, unifying leadership committed to a strong, accessible, and politically independent university system, not a ministry that continually undermines its public service mission. MONTREAL, May 13, 2025 /CNW/ - Are Quebec's universities better off since Pascale Déry became Minister of Higher Education? The answer across institutions is unanimous: no, and the decline is evident. Since her appointment, Pascale Déry has systematically weakened the policy levers of higher education. Her ministry has been stripped of its substance, and its responsibilities have been dispersed across other departments, leaving behind a compliant arm of economic and immigration priorities that are disconnected from its fundamental mission. Confronted with successive crises —from disarray around artificial intelligence to neglect of the system's financial collapse— the minister has consistently failed to provide vision, support, or even basic attentiveness. Worse still, when institutions raise alarms, she deflects responsibility, denies the urgency of the situation, and lets the system sink into unacknowledged austerity. Following the CSN and numerous student and faculty unions, the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université (FQPPU) adds its voice: it is time for Pascale Déry to step aside and make room for someone capable of articulating a clear ambition for the future of our higher education system. A Minister at Odds with Her Mandate A recent court ruling describes Minister Pascale Déry's actions as incoherent, irrational, and unreasonable. This harsh judgment echoes what the academic community has observed for months: a tenure marked by either a troubling ignorance of the college and university networks or an alarming indifference to their fate. Tasked with defending academic freedom, Pascale Déry has instead become its chief threat. She blocked a nomination at the INRS without valid reasons, interfered with CEGEP course content, and refused to endorse a motion to protect academic freedom from foreign threats. Regarding artificial intelligence, she initiated a superficial consultation process—with no resources, unstructured, and widely criticized as a mere public relations exercise. Worse still: she touted the recent budget as a historic success, eliding that it imposes massive cuts on a system on the verge of collapse. While universities speak of a "seismic shift", the minister stubbornly claims that institutions have sufficient space to adapt, despite soaring costs, stagnant subsidies, and plummeting international enrollment, all linked to her poor policy decisions. "She seems to exist in a parallel universe, completely disconnected from campus realities," says Madeleine Pastinelli, president of the FQPPU. "Her obstinate refusal to acknowledge the scale of the crisis only deepens her growing isolation within higher education, a sector where she should be the primary ally. She no longer has our trust moving forward." Time to Turn the Page Too much political interference. Too many refusals to engage. Too much contempt and ignorance. Higher education can no longer move forward with a minister who denies the obvious, sidelines the voices sustaining the system, and governs without direction or dialogue. "At this point, this is no longer a momentary disagreement, but a complete break between the minister and the university communities," says Madeleine Pastinelli. "What Quebec needs now is leadership that can rebuild trust, rally the strengths of the network, and invest in a bold, shared vision of the university as a public good." The FQPPU is therefore calling for the immediate resignation of Pascale Déry. Because our universities (and our CEGEPs) deserve better: a ministry that uplifts them, not one that renounces their core mission. Since 1991, the FQPPU is the representative body of university faculty in Quebec. SOURCE Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université (FQPPU) View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
