Dear colleagues,
Today, General Faculties Council (GFC) passed a motion I put forward opposing Bill 18.
In its present form, Bill 18 — or the “Provincial Priorities Act” — would require post-secondary institutions across the province to receive provincial approval to obtain federal research grants.
The motion passed at GFC states that GFC calls on the Government of Alberta to withdraw Bill 18 in its entirety unless post-secondary institutions are fully exempted from any and all provisions of the bill. The motion passed unanimously, with no votes against, or exemptions. President Bill Flanagan spoke in favour of the motion and said it would help his lobbying efforts.
GFC is the body responsible for the academic affairs of the university, and includes members from university administration, the student body, as well as academic and non-academic staff.
The motion reads in part: “unless Bill 18 is withdrawn or significantly amended, passage of Bill 18 has the potential to lead to the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in research and scholarship funding for the University of Alberta and other Albertan post-secondary institutions, funding that is critical to achieving the teaching, research, scholarly and artistic strategic ambitions of the University of Alberta specifically and of all Albertan post-secondary institutions generally.”
You can read the motion in its entirety here.
Sincerely,
Gordon Swaters
AASUA President