Douglas Todd: Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein put UBC at centre of debate over academic activism |
Share this Story : National Post Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr
Douglas Todd: Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein put UBC at centre of debate over academic activism
Against opinion polls showing three in four Canadians believe political ideology should be kept out of universities, five years ago UBC hired left-wing climate activists Lewis and Klein as professors
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
When the University of B.C. hired left-wing activists Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein as faculty, Canada’s second-largest post-secondary institution took a firm position on a polarizing discussion over whether academics should openly advocate political causes.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
Unlimited online access to National Post.
National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
Support local journalism.
Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.
Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.
Unlimited online access to National Post.
National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.
Support local journalism.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
Enjoy additional articles per month.
Get email updates from your favourite authors.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
Enjoy additional articles per month
Get email updates from your favourite authors
Sign In or Create an Account
Against opinion polls showing three in four Canadians believe political ideology should be kept out of universities, five years ago UBC hired filmmaker Lewis — who was elected leader of the federal NDP on March 29 — and well-known climate activist Klein.
While PhDs are required for virtually anyone seeking to be a professor at UBC, Lewis has only a bachelor’s degree. Klein, author of many books and journalism articles, does not have a degree.
Political Hack gets at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill. Wednesdays and Fridays.
In the year ending April 1 of 2025, Lewis, employed part-time, was paid $92,000.
Klein was paid $277,000.
The UBC geography website says Lewis is currently “on leave.” UBC officials say he last taught in the winter of 2024, a third-year course titled “climate justice.”
Klein teaches one graduate seminar a year, called “topics in human geography.” She is among “multiple instructors” of a second-year course called “climate emergency.” And she has the title “co-director, engagement,” at UBC’s centre for climate justice.
The debate over whether universities and professors should take political stands has grown into a fiery one.
In a recent poll, Leger Opinion asked Canadians if they believed “political ideology should be kept out of universities and colleges to ensure that thinking and learning can take place.” Seventy-one per cent agreed, while 20 per cent disagreed, and the rest didn’t register their opinion.
In January, Harvard University president Alan Garber broke with years of recent post-secondary culture and said the university “went wrong” by allowing professors to inject their personal views into the classroom, arguing that faculty activism has chilled free speech and debate.
Thomas Mulcair: In politics, big ideas are not enough
Don't envy the winner of the federal NDP's leadership contest
Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});
“How many students would actually be willing to go toe-to-toe against a professor who has expressed a firm view about a controversial issue?” Garber asked.
But the debate is far from over on most campuses. Studies, including by ScienceDirect, show professors are much more likely than in the past to be activists.
Lewis and Klein epitomize the ideological trend.
On his UBC web profile, Lewis condemns the Trans Mountain Pipeline, accuses Israel of genocide, and aims to help students “confront these crises” because “it’s a matter of survival.”
On her UBC profile, Klein cites her many best-selling books, including The Shock Doctrine: The Rise Of Disaster Capitalism. She pays “particular attention to the intersections between climate justice and Indigenous land rights; the gendered and racialized labour of care; and the rights of migrants.”
Maya Gebala's parents taking UFC president's offer to pay for rehab at L.A. hospital Canada
Maya Gebala's parents taking UFC president's offer to pay for rehab at L.A. hospital
Former law school dean wanted on Canada-wide arrest warrant now disbarred in U.K. Canada
Former law school dean wanted on Canada-wide arrest warrant now disbarred in U.K.
Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});
Marilyn Gladu says her floor-crossing is the ‘best thing for my riding, for the country and for myself’ Canadian Politics
Marilyn Gladu says her floor-crossing is the ‘best thing for my riding, for the country and for myself’
FIRST READING: Iranian-Canadian activist threatened with criminal charges for posts NP Comment
FIRST READING: Iranian-Canadian activist threatened with criminal charges for posts
12 million Canadians could get a one-time bonus payment this spring. Here's how to check if you qualify Canada
12 million Canadians could get a one-time bonus payment this spring. Here's how to check if you qualify
Lewis and Klein are far from the only left-wing activists on faculty at UBC. Departments devoted to political science, gender, environment, law, Indigenous relations, health, education and social work also have professors who state their dedication to “direct action,” “advocacy,” “resistance” and “social justice.” The same is true at Simon Fraser University.
Postmedia asked 10 questions of UBC, including about whether it had any conservative activists on faculty, but received only a brief, unattributed statement citing privacy laws.
UBC did acknowledge it is “rare” to hire public figures without strong academic credentials as professors.
Numerous Canadian studies show faculty and students feel their right to free speech and inquiry is threatened when advocacy penetrates the culture of post-secondary institutions.
A 2022 survey published by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute found 88 per cent of Canadian university professors vote for parties on the left, while nine per cent support the right.
A 2025 Leger survey of 1,200 Canadian post-secondary students found right-leaning university students are a minority, and that 50 per cent of them are reluctant to express their views, compared to 36 per cent of left-leaning students. Many worried their grades might be lowered for having the “wrong” opinion.
Last year, a poll commissioned by the Canadian Association of University Teachers reported six in 10 Canadians believe the value of college or university education has declined over the past four years, with ideological conservatives expressing this sentiment the strongest. While 52 per cent still report “a fair amount” of confidence in higher education, two-thirds worry political conflicts are becoming “more severe” on campuses.
Josh Greenberg, a journalism professor at Carleton University, stands up for “institutional neutrality” at universities and colleges, whether in regard to climate, Israel or transgender rights.
Greenberg supports SFU president Joy Johnson who, worried about polarization, has declared she will no longer make ”statements related to world events. … I have come to understand that taking a public position on behalf of the university can have a chilling effect on the vigorous discussion and debate of students, faculty and staff.”
Greenberg’s opponents argue that political neutrality is in effect supporting the status quo, as it was when many universities stayed silent about U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Greenberg, nevertheless, insists post-secondary administrators remain impartial to protect the rights of faculty and students to freely express their views.
Ross McKitrick, a B.C.-trained professor of economics at the University of Guelph and a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute, goes further. He says the taxpaying public, which spans the political spectrum, is losing faith in public universities and colleges in part because they’re “becoming political monocultures.”
With almost nine of 10 Canadian profs identifying as left wing, McKitrick, in an essay for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, wrote, “Despite all their rhetoric about diversity, universities have systematically destroyed what is most central to their mission: intellectual or viewpoint diversity.”
Higher education in Canada has become “institutionally one-sided, highly partisan, and out of step with the public it serves,” McKitrick wrote. The most important reform required, he said, is that universities and colleges “re-establish a culture that emphasizes the formation of students as citizens and critical thinkers, and that fosters academic freedom and rigorous inquiry.”
Share this Story : National Post Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.
Best standup comedy shows in Canada near you this week Ali Wong, Nate Bargatze and Bobby Lee are on sale now 14 hours ago Entertainment
Best standup comedy shows in Canada near you this week
Ali Wong, Nate Bargatze and Bobby Lee are on sale now
How to make the most of the World Cup in Vancouver and Toronto this summer Canada's host cities are set for a soccer-fuelled frenzy with fans due to arrive from around the globe 19 hours ago Travel
How to make the most of the World Cup in Vancouver and Toronto this summer
Canada's host cities are set for a soccer-fuelled frenzy with fans due to arrive from around the globe
Best BBQs in Canada: Top grills for balconies and backyards This summer we're chillin' and grillin'. 1 day ago Outdoor & Garden
Best BBQs in Canada: Top grills for balconies and backyards
This summer we're chillin' and grillin'.
Advertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});
What are the hidden lessons of Japan's food culture? A culinary tour of the country's street markets and kitchens reveals what Canadians might be missing 1 day ago Travel
What are the hidden lessons of Japan's food culture?
A culinary tour of the country's street markets and kitchens reveals what Canadians might be missing
Allergy seasons are getting worse: A doctor’s essential guide for every Canadian household Dr. Amiirah Aujnarain shares tips, advice and products to have on hand for allergy season in Canada. 1 day ago Wellness
Allergy seasons are getting worse: A doctor’s essential guide for every Canadian household
Dr. Amiirah Aujnarain shares tips, advice and products to have on hand for allergy season in Canada.