Academic Freedom

CAUT actively defends academic freedom as the right to teach, learn, study and publish free of orthodoxy or threat of reprisal and discrimination. Academic freedom includes the right to criticize the university and the right to participate in its governance. Tenure provides a foundation for academic freedom by ensuring that academic staff cannot be dismissed without just cause and rigorous due process.

Resources

Major academic freedom cases in Canada

Learn more about the most prominent cases and investigations of academic freedom violations.

Academic freedom inquiries and reports

Read all the reports of CAUT's inquires and investigations into academic freedom, from the ground-breaking 1958 report into United College to the latest inquiry.

List of universities in Canada imposing a faith or ideological test as a condition of employment

Find out which universities in Canada violate academic freedom by requiring academic staff to accept a particular ideology or statement of faith as a condition of employment.

Academic Freedom Fund

The Academic Freedom Fund provides financial assistance to member associations and to CAUT to aid in the defense of academic freedom.

Custody and Control of Academic Staff Records

With universities now under access to information legislation in all provinces and federally, there is a growing number of requests for academic staff records. Find out what rights and obligations academic staff have when asked to turn over their records.

The Road to the 1997 UNESCO Statement on Academic Freedom

On 11 November 1997 the General Conference of UNESCO adopted a Recommendation concerning the status of higher education teaching personnel. This document outlines the road to the development of the Recommendation.