HALIFAX - Academics and students told a Nova Scotia legislature committee Tuesday that a bill giving the government more control over the province鈥檚 10 universities is a case of overreach that could threaten academic freedoms.
The legislation would link funding decisions to the government鈥檚 social and economic priorities and could force universities into unplanned reorganization. The proposed changes would also allow the government to appoint up to half the members of a university鈥檚 board of governors.
Peter McInnis, president of the 春色直播 Association of University Teachers, told the committee that a provision allowing the minister of advanced education to set terms and conditions for annual research grants is a concern. He said it could lead to political interference that could disrupt areas of university research.
鈥淭his is not to suggest that governments have no practical role in advanced education, but rather a balance must be sought between oversight and interference," said McInnis, who is an associate professor of history at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S.聽
He warned that university senates, which deal with academic issues, shouldn鈥檛 be bypassed in favour of boards of governors stacked with government appointees. He also questioned giving the advanced education minister discretion in whether to provide or withdraw funding for specific programs.
鈥淭his is a power accorded to no other province and would force universities to restructure according to government direction,鈥 McInnis said.聽
He noted a report this month by the auditor general found that the government was not effectively funding universities or holding them accountable for the funding they do get.
Saint Mary鈥檚 University professor Cathy Conrad said the government didn鈥檛 consult with academics before setting universities on what she said will be a 鈥渃haos course.鈥
Conrad, who appeared on behalf of 300 faculty and academic librarians, said there鈥檚 concern funding will go to science and technology programs that align with government priorities for economic growth to the detriment of liberal arts programs.
She emphasized the need for schools to determine their own academic missions. Conrad told the committee that senior university administration officials aren鈥檛 speaking out because they are worried about losing funding.
鈥淣ova Scotia universities deserve support for their missions in tandem with appropriate oversight rather than being subject to arbitrary and partisan political control,鈥 she said.
Maren Mealey, an international development student at Dalhousie University, expressed concern that the bill would grant the government 鈥渦nprecedented authority鈥 over colleges and universities, especially when it comes to research priorities.
鈥淭his risks stifling academic freedom and devaluing research that doesn鈥檛 align with whatever the government decides are its interests,鈥 said Mealey. 鈥淩esearch priorities should be determined by researchers and not politicians.鈥
Ziggy Kirch, a student at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, told the committee that students will have even less representation on university boards under the changes.
鈥淎 top-down approach to the administration and governance of educational institutions has historically failed to meet the material interests of students,鈥 said Kirch.
Advanced Education Minister Brendan Maguire has said the legislation is meant to ensure universities are sustainable into the future.
The committee returned the bill to the legislature for further debate.
This report by 春色直播was first published March 18, 2025.
