September 10, 2024
News Article

September Advocate: Aboriginal Academic Staff Conference - 2025 pre-budget submission - Critical questions for new capstone research funding

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September 2024

Join us at the 2024 CAUT Aboriginal Academic Staff Conference

On October 4-5, CAUT will host its Aboriginal Academic Staff Conference in Regina, Saskatchewan. The conference theme is “Beyond Words: Translating Indigenization of the Academy into Practice.” 

In the spirit of reconciliation and transforming the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations into action, Indigenous scholars and non-Indigenous allies will discuss experiences of Indigenization at Canadian universities and colleges. 

Topics of discussion will include how post-secondary institutions can best navigate claims of Indigenous identity and how academic staff associations have worked to improve Indigenous representation and recognition of Indigenous knowledge and practices through collective bargaining. 

  • Register today to join the discussions and share your perspective. Visit our website for more information 

McGill professors of law resume strike

On August 26, the first day of the academic year, members of the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) resumed their strike after walking the picket lines for almost nine weeks in the spring. 

AMPL says the McGill administration has been refusing to engage in good-faith negotiations. Members unanimously voted to resume the strike after McGill’s negotiating team refused to attend scheduled talks on August 19 and 21. 

Tomorrow, workers inside and outside the classroom from across Montreal are coming to McGill University with one aim: to break the cycle of union repression. 

Wednesday, Sept. 11 @ 12 PM

James Administration Building – McGill University 
845 Sherbrooke St. W 

  • Read CAUT’s statement about the AMPL strike 

Western backtracks on new campus protest policy

The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) successfully pushed back against the university’s new campus protest policy. 

Announced without any consultation, the new policy would have required prior approval from the administration before any demonstration can go ahead. 

The policy also broadly defined a demonstration as any gathering of one or more persons for the purpose of expressing a “sentiment” in favour or opposed to an action or opinion. Examples of a demonstration include “picketing, marching, carrying signs, distribution of literature, and other related activities.” 

UWOFA was concerned that the new rules will impinge on the campus rights of its 1,600 members, including full-time and part-time faculty, librarians and archivists. 

“We’re very concerned about the scope of this procedure as it unduly restricts fundamental rights on campus and violates other important elements of our collective agreement pertaining to consultation,” said Johanna Weststar, President of UWOFA in a statement. “Given the scope, this does not seem to be about clarity and consistency to ensure safety—it is a violation of an academic institution’s core principles of fostering debate and dialogue over difficult issues.” 

The new policy came as a shock to student groups who worried about the “chilling effect on campus free speech,” according to media reports. 

Legal experts have indicated that the new policy likely violates Western’s 2018 freedom of expression policy. 

CAUT is expanding its social media

Beginning this September, CAUT will be providing new educational and storytelling content across all our social media platforms. 

Things will kick off with posts about the principles of academic freedom, collegial governance, equity, tenure and precarity. 

  • Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) so you don’t miss anything 

CAUT calls on the federal government to make post-secondary education affordable

In its 2025 pre-budget submission, CAUT called for the federal government to make post-secondary education more affordable by increasing the maximum Canada Student Grant to $7,000.  

CAUT also urged the federal government to improve the quality and accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada by: 

  • Providing an additional $650 million annually to close the gap in Indigenous post-secondary educational attainment and support through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program  
  • Allocating $50 million to increase data collection on post-secondary education to enhance transparency for students and support evidence-based decision-making   
  • Increasing federal research funding with a focus on investigator-led research 

Read the 2025 CAUT pre-budget submission 

Critical questions remain for new capstone research funding

In response to the Government of Canada’s call for input on a proposed new “capstone” research funding organization announced in Budget 2024, CAUT requested more engagement with the research community. 

The new funding organization would incorporate the three federal granting councils – the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). 

While the government says the new structure is needed to ensure greater coordination and planning, CAUT expressed skepticism about some aspects of the proposed changes.  

  • Read CAUT’s submission to the Canada Research Coordinating Committee  

York academic staff ratify a new collective agreement

Members of the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) voted 91% in favour of ratifying a new agreement reached with the help of a mediator on August 20. 

The deal increases wages by 3.1% in the first year and by 2.85% in each of the two subsequent years. 

  • Read CAUT’s statement about YUFA’s new collective agreement