Freedom of Expression action plan

A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor and James W.E. Rush Vice-President, Academic and Provost
 

In June, we updated the University community on the progress of the Freedom of Expression and Inclusive Engagement Task Force, which had concluded its work and issued a final report. 

The Task Force report outlined 24 general principles and 16 recommendations to help guide the University in its ongoing work to maintain a campus environment for open inquiry and exchange, free expression and inclusive engagement.  

We are pleased to share more details about the University’s next steps and plan for implementing the recommendations of the task force.

To implement the recommendations of the task force, we have developed an action plan that covers three general areas: 

1. Developing statements that define the University’s position on specific topics related to freedom of expression. This includes statements on: 

• the principle of institutional neutrality and exercising institutional restraint 
• the authority of a University body (such as governing bodies, academic units or Academic Support Units) to take a collective position on social, political or moral matters 

2. Reviewing and developing policies related to freedom of expression. This includes: 

• Reviewing and revising existing policies, including: 
  • Policy 2 – Bulletin Board, Temporary Signs and Notices 
  • Policy 8 – Freedom of Speech 
  • Policy 15 – Bookings – Use and Reservation of University Facilities for Activities Not Regularly Timetabled 
  • Policy 33 – Ethical Behaviour 

• Developing a new policy on rights and responsibilities for both the University and University-recognized student groups 

• Developing a new policy or guideline on the use of University websites and social media  
   

3. Setting up oversight structures and engagement plans. This includes: 

• Creating an oversight structure for a new advisory body on freedom of expression and inclusive engagement. 
• Creating a multi-year public engagement plan for students, faculty, staff with a focus on building community. 

We will update our progress towards this action plan on the Freedom of Expression website as the year progresses. 

The Action Plan will receive executive sponsorship from the Office of the Vice President, Academic and Provost, and will be developed and executed by the Office of Faculty Planning and Policy under the leadership of Dr. Christine McWebb. We aim to complete the implementation by the end of 2025 and will update the community on our progress through quarterly updates. 

While we focus on the important work outlined above, we know that there will be times this academic year where members of our community will expect, or call on, the institution and its leaders to communicate a public perspective, viewpoint, or stance on political, social, or moral matters.

As an interim measure until we are able to complete consultations as part of our implementation plan, and in line with the recommendations of the task force, we will adopt a position of institutional neutrality and restraint in our communications moving forward. 

Adopting a position of institutional neutrality means the University will not issue statements or communications that take a position on broader social, political, and moral matters that are outside of our mission. If or when the University communicates on these matters, our communications will focus on providing our community information to access the supports we offer. 

We are grateful to the task force members for the time and effort they put into producing a thoughtful and detailed report. While we were pleased to accept the report overall, after further careful review and deliberation, we have identified a need to clarify the institution’s interpretation of two of the 24 proposed principles: 

• Principle 11: Expression in the Classroom 

• Principle 14: Extramural and Public Expression – Faculty 

We believe these principles, which cover deeply complex issues, should be further clarified with context from the report to aid in our implementation of the task force recommendations. This will be done as part of the implementation work ahead. 

This vital work is central to our mission as a University to advance learning and knowledge through teaching, research, and scholarship, nationally and internationally, in an environment of free expression and inquiry.  

We look forward to continuing this important work together.