Christian education group calls for national forum on academic freedom

Christian Higher Education Canada, which represents 33 evangelical post-secondary institutions across the country, would like to see a national conference to bring together "all stakeholders within higher education" to discuss academic freedom. The idea for such a forum came following CHEC's annual general meeting last week, where members discussed the recent visits and reports by delegations of the Canadian Association of University Teachers to 3 CHEC institutions, including Trinity Western University. CAUT was investigating whether the requirement that faculty at these schools adhere to an "ideological or faith test as a condition of employment" violated academic freedom. In a news release, CHEC "notes with concern the accusation by CAUT against some of its member institutions suggesting they do not practice academic freedom." The organization's concern is "based on the seemingly arbitrary attitude of CAUT that it alone has the authority to define the meaning of 'university' and 'academic freedom' within Canada and that those who do not accept its definitions are in some manner deficient." Margin Notes