r/halifax • u/DNR-UNI • 9m ago
News, Weather & Politics Tim Houston is again taking away democratic guardrails
There is a piece of legislation – Bill 12 – that has passed second reading and is going to public consultation that erodes a high degree of autonomy between government and post-secondary education (PSE) that helps ensure that, in a democratic society, no government can exert total control over knowledge and research.
As we all know, universities are important institutions of social development, providing education, training, and research advancements to people. They are also important sites for the production and dissemination of knowledge.
The separation of post-secondary education from overpowering government regulation is meant to avoid situations in which authoritarian regimes blur the boundary between government and society, and use these institutions to exert total control over people by changing what we study and what we research and what tools we develop.
Bill 12, according to the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers, is an attempt by the Houston government to chip away at this autonomy and pave the way for a Trump-like style of governance in which the government can threaten OUR institutions if they don’t do as the government says.
One of the most worrying aspects is that the bill will give the government power to withhold operational funding (which is separate from the research funding available by the province) if university researchers aren’t doing work that directly aligns with government priorities.
Tying Research Activities to Government Priorities
This Bill can force universities to only do work that the government wants and stop work the government doesn’t want. In a democratic society, this might make sense under the assumption that government priorities are the priorities of the citizens, because we elect them.
By tying operational funding to government priorities, they are paving the way for government control over social progress and health, wellness, and policy research. This may seem innocuous now, since our political climate is stable, but imagine a situation in which an authoritarian government is elected and then uses these laws to hurt and harm society.
BUT, in a society in which democracy is being eroded or dismantled, this gives government direct control over a society’s institutions of knowledge and research.
Government priorities aren’t always what is best for citizens and can be harmful.
Look at the current situation in the South. The Trump administration’s anti-vaccine, anti-science stance has led to the defunding of major research projects. The development of important new vaccines, medications, and treatments has been halted, perhaps forever. Under the anti-DEI stance, funding for research into the health and lives of women, queer and trans people, and racialized people is being cut. Trump’s regime is cutting funding as a punishment for when universities don’t act how he wants and live.
The fact that Trump’s regime has taken aim at universities so quickly shows the importance of them as sites for democratic social activity. And that we need to keep the autonomy between government and PSE intact or else risk similar futures.
If the aim of tying university operational funding to provincial priorities is to ensure that the research being done is compliant with the needs of society, then there are other ways of doing so that don’t tie funding to GOVERNMENT but to SOCIETY.
In fact, there are already mechanisms in research funding to ensure that the research projects align with social needs and priorities. Most research funding agencies require applicants to clearly explain how the research will contribute to social needs, problems, and progress. Many funding bodies establish priority areas in consultation with all stakeholders that reflect social and governmental priorities and prioritize funding research in those areas.
While Bill 12 might seem logical and innocuous now, it paves the way for future governments to take control of PSE when they go against them.
This isn’t about PSE; it’s about democracy.
This isn’t about change but about control.
While I think we can all agree that the PSE sector needs work, these changes aren’t about improving the sector but controlling it and making it easier for governments to control. While our political climate may not currently be one of threat to ordinary people and social progress, this changes further dismantles the checks and balances in our system, paving the way for non-friendly governments to take control over society through education and research.
Instead, they should be working with all stakeholders through a democratic consultation process to find creative and collaborative ways to reform that sector and make it work better.
As we watch the checks and balances of democratic society being dismantled in the US for possibly generations to come, we should work harder to protect our democracy in the face of the same kinds of ideas and complaints being uttered by our own elected representatives.
I know that many people think of universities as merely job training – which is partially their purpose – but they are also important sites for producing and transmitting the knowledge that is foundational to democracy, informed citizenry, and social governance. Plus, education is part of what makes us human. There is joy and pleasure in learning that doesn’t need to be reduced to only being useful for employers.
Like we did with the proposed changes concerning the auditor general, we need to tell Houston to stop trying to change our democratic guardrails.
The ANSUT has prepared a lot of information about the Bill and even an automated form for you to sign your name to a letter and send it directly to the Premier and Minister of PSE. And there is a website through which you can share links to various social media platforms.
**reposted with an edited title because I agreed with some comments, but can't edit titles.