Academic leaders condemn Nova Scotia bill as threat to university autonomy

Vernon Ramesar · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 11:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

New legislation affecting post-secondary institutions successful Nova Scotia drew the ire of members of the Canadian Association of University Teachers astatine a gathering this play successful Ottawa.

An Act Respecting Advanced Education and Research received royal assent connected March 26. The measure came aft a study from the auditor wide called for much transparency and accountability astatine universities. 

A quality merchandise from the state said it was designed to "strengthen post-secondary instauration fiscal accountability, sustainability and alignment with authorities priorities."

The authorities allows the state to restructure universities, name up to 50 per cent of their boards, and align world probe with authorities priorities.

Delegates astatine the gathering successful Ottawa voted unanimously to condemn the bill, citing concerns that the authorities could service arsenic a exemplary for akin efforts successful different provinces. 

Peter McInnis, the association's president, said from Ottawa that condemnation of the measure was an antithetic measurement for the association, but not without precedent. 

He called it a rehash of a measure from 2015, but considers it much unsafe due to the fact that it no longer requires universities to beryllium successful situation earlier authorities intervention.

"There was nary evident request for this," McInnis said.

He said members of the relation spot the caller measure arsenic an encroachment connected world freedom.

He said the relation volition beryllium looking astatine ineligible options and charter implications, but understands those avenues could instrumentality years.

Cathy Conrad is president of the Saint Mary's University Faculty Union, which projected the motion.

She said requiring more transparency and accountability from universities is a good facet of the legislation. But different elements that person thing to bash with the auditor general's study person been introduced, she said.

"They were capable to past cloak, nether the guise of being much fiscally liable and transparent, the sorts of things similar attaching their operating grants to authorities priorities," Conrad said.

"There's nary country for politicians to beryllium dictating what the colonisation should beryllium receiving successful presumption of their education."

Conrad emphasized that universities are already publically accountable, governed by boards with representatives from assorted sectors, including government. 

CBC has asked the state for a effect to the vote.