Politics
A Canadian academic told the public inquiry on foreign interference Wednesday that the spotlight on foreign interference in universities is akin to “modern day witch-hunting.”
Academic says concerns about foreign interference are costing universities top talent
Elizabeth Thompson · CBC News
· Posted: Oct 02, 2024 1:33 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago
Commissioner Justice Marie-Josee Hogue listens during a hearing of the Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)A Canadian academic testifying before the public inquiry on foreign interference Wednesday described the spotlight on foreign interference in universities as “modern day witch-hunting.”
The Chinese-Canadian university professor, granted anonymity by the inquiry, said Chinese-Canadian professors are under suspicion and new research security policies have make it harder to collaborate with Chinese scholars.
This year, she said, 17 of 20 Chinese researchers who were to come to a workshop in Canada couldn’t get visas.
“Hunting for spies in universities is close to modern day witch-hunting,” she said, adding that Canadian universities are losing top talent and top performers feel unwelcome.
Teresa Woo-Paw, chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and a former provincial cabinet minister in Alberta, said reports of foreign interference in Canadian elections are also driving a rise in anti-Asian racism.
She said they’re prompting Chinese Canadians to stop donating to political parties because they fear they will be seen as interfering. While some have aspirations to serve in public office, she said, many feel now is not the time.
More later …
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning reporter Elizabeth Thompson covers Parliament Hill. A veteran of the Montreal Gazette, Sun Media and iPolitics, she currently works with the CBC’s Ottawa bureau, specializing in investigative reporting and data journalism. She can be reached at: elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca.
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