Research security restrictions

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) recently shared concerns about the impact of the new research security restrictions announced by the Government of Canada this January on academic freedom and international scientific collaboration. The CAUT advised that the adoption of two new sets of regulations, Sensitive Technology Research Areas and Named Research Organizations, threaten to increase the chill on specific academic research and partnerships, and add to a growing climate of fear on university and college campuses.

The CAUT indicated that there have been several reports of an increased presence of agents from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on university campuses and that many administrations are actively collaborating and sharing information with CSIS. Academic staff of Chinese descent, and those conducting research related to China, Russia, or Iran are particularly vulnerable to surveillance and suspicion.

Members can contact the Faculty Association at [email protected] if they have any concerns with the security of their research; for example, if their research is being questioned, if they are notified that they are being investigated for allegations related to international research collaboration, or if they are approached by CSIS agents.