Scholar Strike in Canada will take place on September 9th and 10th, during which participants will pause teaching and all administrative duties, and will use this time to organize public digital teach-ins on police brutality and violence from both historical and contemporary perspectives. The Canadian action is aligned with the one in the U.S., in its call for racial justice and an end to anti-Black police violence, and it adds a specific focus on anti-Indigenous, colonial violence.
On its Facebook page, the Canadian Association for University Teachers has issued a statement that “encourages academic staff associations and their members to show their support for racial justice by joining or organizing activities with Scholar Strike Canada.” CAUT also calls on university and college administrations to support all staff and students who participate, and not to penalize those who do.
USFA supports this protest against the police’s use of excessive force and violence towards Black and Indigenous peoples in communities around the world. We join this call for an end to systemic racism. Because USFA members are not in a legal position to strike since we have a binding Collective Agreement currently in place, we wrote to President Stoicheff asking for assurance that no penalties or consequences would be taken against faculty for withdrawal of services on these dates and the university has indicated that it fully supports any such action taken by faculty.