Concordia University’s Board of Governors and Senate have come out against the Quebec government’s proposed charter of values, calling on the PQ to "significantly" amend Bill 60.
In a statement released Tuesday, the university’s highest governing and academic bodies say though they agree with certain principles espoused by the bill, namely equality between men and women and the secular nature of the state, they are against “key elements” of the proposed legislation.
Those key elements include the law’s infringement on the university’s autonomy and the provisions banning the wearing of religious symbols deemed to be “ostentatious.”
The statement lists the university’s diversity – 6,300 international students representing 150 countries attend the school – as a crucial component of its identity.
“We teach, study and work together in harmony. Our peaceful diversity is a great strength, and it is the future of our university,” the statement reads.
“We believe that Bill 60 puts that future at risk.”
They also list recruitment as one of their concerns, saying the bill may not only discourage those who would be directly affected by its provisions from attending the university, but would also dissuade people who disagree with the law in principle from coming to Concordia as well.
The statement is also supported by 11 unions and associations within the university, including the Concordia Student Union, the Graduate Students’ Association, the Concordia University Faculty Association and the Part-time Faculty Association.
In a message posted to the university’s website, President Alan Shepard said more than 200 members of the Concordia community wrote to him directly about the bill, and “an overwhelming majority expressed their dissent.”
The university is planning to present their position on the charter during the consultative process, which will begin in January.
