OTTAWA — The Canadian Association of University Teachers is launching an inquiry into the case of an outspoken East Coast professor under investigation following complaints over his polarizing views.
The association says it has appointed a committee to review how Nova Scotia's Acadia University is handling grievances against Rick Mehta to determine whether his academic freedom has been breached or threatened, and make any appropriate recommendations.
David Robinson, executive director of the association, says Mehta's case raises important questions about the scope of academic freedom in teaching and the exercise of extramural speech by professors.
He says these issues are of "broad significance" to all academics in Canada.
The committee members are York University associate professor Penni Stewart and Francesca Holyoke, the head of archives and special collections at the University of New Brunswick.
Mehta, a psychology professor and free speech advocate, has weighed in on a range of controversial issues both in the classroom and on social media.
The university in Wolfville, N.S., launched a formal investigation after it received complaints from students, faculty and others with concerns about views he appeared to be advancing or supporting.
