Censure against University of Toronto

You are likely aware that CAUT has censured the University of Toronto. Our Faculty Association has been supportive of this move by CAUT Council as the actions that have been taken by the leadership at the University of Toronto are a threat to Academic Freedom and an administrative overreach.

Censure is a rare and extremely important sanction in which academic staff are asked to not accept appointments or speaking engagements at the institution until satisfactory changes are made. It is a measure of last resort used only when we are faced with serious violations of academic freedom and other principles that are fundamental to higher education. This is only the third time since 1979 that CAUT has censured an institution, and the first since the censure of First Nations University over governance concerns in 2008.

A website (www.censureuoft.ca) that has launched in support of the censure has information on the censure and the impact that the censure is having. The censure has resulted in considerable national and international media attention, and has resulted in numerous resignations, cancelled or postponed events, and the suspension of Amnesty International’s relationship with the University of Toronto.

More information on what lead to the Censure of the University of Toronto can be found in a recent CAUT Bulletin Article.