The format of a My Take is 150 words – no more, no less – to express an opinion on a different topic each week. This week’s topic was Bill 32
It feels like all I’ve been reading the past few months has to do with freedom. Freedom convoys, freedom fighters, freedom of choice, and now there’s a fight for academic freedom.
The Quebec government just tabled a bill that would allow university professors to say any word in the classroom as long as it’s being used in an academic context.
Basically the government is stepping in to give professors the freedom to say, well, the n-word, right? But does censoring a historically offensive word really infringe on academic freedom?
I’m all for protecting free speech and supporting discussions about the history of that specific word, for example, but why does anyone, even a professor, actually need to say it out loud.
The student community has already spoken out against this bill. Maybe it’s time for the government to rethink its approach in this situation.