Despite recent media attention to the contrary, there is broad support at the University of Alberta, and among alumni and Albertans, for the honorary doctorate being granted to David Suzuki for his lifetime achievements and contributions to Canadian society.
Since the U of A announced that Suzuki would be among 13 recipients of honorary doctorates to be awarded at convocation ceremonies this spring, several economists have tweeted their disapproval of this decision. They take offence at some of Suzuki's characterizations of economics.
More recently, the dean of engineering at the U of A and business people with connections to the oil and gas industry have called for the award to be rescinded because of Suzuki's view that expansion of bitumen extraction conflicts with efforts to rein in climate change.
We are sorry to see Suzuki's contributions to our country belittled in the reporting of Postmedia on a selection of the Twitter response to his award. The language used in this media outlet's coverage clearly aims to paint Suzuki as negatively as possible, perhaps because of his vocal opposition to further expansion of fossil-fuel extraction and exports that contribute to the global crisis of climate change. It is all the more important that a university located in the heart of Canada's oil and gas extractive sector should uphold the principle of "expression of, exposure to and debate of diverse points of view."
While we agree that criticisms of various schools of thought should be grounded in a reasonable knowledge of these schools' concepts and assumptions, we note that there are many knowledge chasms between sciences and social sciences and humanities that need to be bridged through more dialogue. In other words, economists are not alone in feeling that their discipline is misunderstood in various ways. To call for the awarding of the degree to be rescinded for this reason is, however, unwarranted.
As the university has explained, Suzuki is receiving the honour in recognition of his work to spread scientific literacy, appreciation of nature, and knowledge of the deep ecological crises threatening life on the planet. This is critically important work.
In many ways, Suzuki's understanding of the ecological destruction wrought by the dominant model of economic development has led him to question the wisdom of this model. Many Albertans-including university alumni-share Suzuki's belief that this model is destroying our life-support systems, as well as his sense of urgency about the need to replace it. Indeed, many Albertans are already invested in futures that do not rely on provincial exports of crude oil.
In addition to the leadership Suzuki has provided over decades with regard to the advancement of environmental and Indigenous knowledges and the need for environmental regulation, he has brought attention to Canada's history of racism as a third-generation Japanese Canadian. In 1942, at six years of age, he was interned with his family for the duration of the Second World War, one of 22,000 Japanese Canadians who lost their homes, businesses and liberty. In relating what he calls "one of the shoddiest chapters in the tortuous history of democracy in North America," Suzuki has helped to educate Canadians about the potential for racialized injustice that calls for our constant vigilance.
The demand by the dean of engineering and certain donors to the university that the offer to Suzuki of the honorary doctorate be rescinded amounts to a campaign-using threats of de-funding-to bend a public institution to the will of a private interest. The oil and gas industry may, for now, be an important source of revenue for the provincial government, but this does not entitle it to threaten and bully the universities or Albertans.
We, the signatories to this letter, agree that the University of Alberta must resist demands that it collaborate in the suppression of critical perspectives that-however unpopular in some circles-are essential to democratic debate about our collective future.
Laurie Adkin is a professor of political science at the University of Alberta. She is among 109 signatories from the University of Alberta and other universities to this guest column, which originally appeared April 27 in the Edmonton Journal.
- Laurie Adkin, Professor, Political Science & Environmental Studies
- Adam Gaudry, Professor, Political Science and Faculty of Native Studies
- Alexandre Da Costa, Professor, Educational Policy Studies
- Alison Murray, Professor, Biological Sciences
- Aloys Fleischmann, GRA, PhD Candidate, English and Film Studies
- Andie Palmer, Associate Professor & Associate Chair, Anthropology
- Anthony Goertz, Graduate student, Women's and Gender Studies
- Beau Coleman, Associate Professor, Department of Drama
- Carolyn Sale, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Cecily Devereux, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Chloe Taylor, Professor, Women's and Gender Studies
- Daniel Walker, Graduate Student, Art and Design
- Daniella Marchand, Alumna, Political Science & Women's and Gender Studies
- David Hik, Professor, Biological Sciences
- David Lewkowich, Professor, Secondary Education, Faculty of Education
- David Schindler, Professor Emeritus, Biological Sciences
- Dax D'Orazio, PhD Candidate, Political Science
- Debra Davidson, Professor, Resource Economics and Rural Sociology
- Dia Da Costa, Professor, Educational Policy Studies
- Greg King, Professor, Science, Augustana Faculty
- Esther Rosario, Doctoral student, Philosophy
- Eva Bogdan, PhD Candidate, Sociology
- Felice Lifshitz, Professor, Women's and Gender Studies and Religious Studies
- Glen Hvenegaard, Professor, Environmental Science and Geography, Augustana Faculty
- Heather Proctor, Professor, Biological Sciences
- Ian Urquhart, Professor, Political Science
- Iman Mersal, Professor, Modern Languages and Comparative Literature
- Imre Szeman, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Ingo Brigandt, Professor, CRC in Philosophy of Biology
- Jaimie Baron, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Janet Wesselius, Professor, Philosophy, Augustana Campus
- Janice Williamson, Professor, English & Film Studies
- Janine Brodie, Professor, Political Science
- Jaymie Heilman, Professor, History and Classics
- Jennifer Welchman, Professor, Philosophy
- Jessie Beier, PhD Student & Instructor, Secondary Education, Faculty of Education
- Joan Greer, Professor, Art and Design
- John Considine, Professor, English and Film Studies
- John England, FRSC Professor, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
- Judith A. Garber, Professor, Political Science
- Judy Davidson, Professor, Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation
- Julie Rak, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Ken Caine, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Alberta
- Kim TallBear, Professor, Faculty of Native Studies
- Lars K. Hallstrom, Professor, Rural Sociology, Augustana Faculty
- Lee Foote, Professor, Renewable Resources, ALES
- Liza Piper, Professor, History & Classics
- Lynette Shultz, Professor, Educational Policy Studies
- Marie-Eve Morin, Professor, Philosophy
- Mark Boyce, Professor, Biological Sciences
- Mark Nuttall, Professor, Anthropology
- Mark Simpson, Professor, English & Film Studies
- Martin Sharp, Professor, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
- Suzanne Bayley, Professor Emerita, Biological Sciences
- Malinda Smith, Professor, Political Science
- Megan Dean, U of A alumna
- Michael Caldwell, Professor and Chair, Biological Sciences
- Michael Frishkopf, Professor, Music
- Natalie Loveless, Professor, Art and Design
- Paige Gorsak, Graduate student, Women's and Gender Studies
- Pearl Ann Reichwein, Associate Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation
- Peter W. Sinnema, Professor and Chair, English and Film Studies
- Ricardo Acuña, Academic Staff and BA 1992
- Richard Rachubinski, Professor & Chair, Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
- Richard Westerman, Professor, Sociology
- Rob Aitken, Professor, Political Science
- Robert Raincock, Undergraduate student, Faculty of Education
- Robin Walker, BSc '69, MSc '79
- Sally Leys, Professor, Biological Sciences
- Sandra Rein, Professor, Political Studies, Augustana Faculty
- Sara Dorow, Professor, Sociology
- Scott Smallwood, Professor, Music
- Sheena Wilson, Professor, Faculty Saint-Jean
- Shelagh Campbell, Professor Emerita, Biological Sciences
- Sourayan Mookerjea, Professor, Sociology
- Stefan Dehod, Graduate student, Women's and Gender Studies
- Stephanie Jonsson, Technical staff, Art and Design (Sculpture)
- Stephen Slemon, Professor Emeritus, English & Film Studies
- Susan Smith, Professor, History and Classics
- Sylvia Brown, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Tania Bubela, Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health
- Tanya Harnett, Professor, Art and Design and Faculty of Native Studies
- Vera Caine, Professor and CIHR Investigator, Faculty of Nursing
- William Beard, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Zac Robinson, Professor, Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation
- Nancy Van Styvendale, Professor, Faculty of Native Studies
- Shannon Stunden Bower, Professor, History and Classics
- Isabel Altamirano-Jimenez, Professor, Political Science
- Anita Dey-Nuttall, PhD, Associate Director, UAlberta North
- Tracy Bear, Professor, Faculty of Native Studies and Dept. of Women's & Gender Studies
- Rob Shields, Henry Marshall Tory Chair and Professor, City Region Studies Centre, Extension/Arts
- Makere Stewart-Harawira, Professor, Educational Policy Studies
- Amy Kaler, Professor, Sociology and Adjunct Professor, Division of Community Engagement, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
- Nathan Kowalsky, Professor, Philosophy, St. Joseph's College & Science, Technology and Society, Interdisciplinary Studies
- Emily R. Douglas, Alumna, Philosophy
- Nisha Nath, PhD, Instructor, Political Science
- Beth Capper, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Eddy Kent, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Elizabeth Boone, Professor, Art and Design
- Terri Tomsky, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Kisha Supernant, Professor, Anthropology
- Katherine Binhammer, Professor, English and Film Studies
- Steven Harris Professor, Art and Design
- Beth Capper, Instructor, English and 'film Studies
- Cathryn van Kessel, Professor, Secondary Education
Signatories from other institutions
- Megan Delehanty, Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Calgary
- Hasana Sharp, Associate Professor of Philosophy, McGill University
- Timothy Harvie, Professor, Philosophy and Ethics, St. Mary's University, Calgary
- Anthony Bruno, Asst. Professor, Philosophy, Royal Holloway, University of London