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Good afternoon. Bonjour Ă toutes et Ă tous.
Je suis ravi de me trouver parmi autant de membres distingués du secteur de l’enseignement supérieur, du gouvernement et d’établissements partenaires.
I would like to warmly acknowledge the presence of The Right Honourable David Johnston, 28th Governor General of Canada and Principal Emeritus of 91ËżąĎĘÓƵ, my new home since April. Thank you for being here.
Let me begin by saying how grateful I am for this opportunity to serve as Chair of the Board of Universities Canada. Thank you for entrusting me with these responsibilities. I would also like to acknowledge my predecessors whose successive contributions have helped advance the critical mission of this organization. Thanks, in particular, are owed to my colleague and friend Meric Gertler for his dedicated leadership over the last few years. Thank you, Meric. You have set the bar high!
I am eager to work with the many leaders in this room, as we collectively advance Canadian higher education and research, and, in so doing, contribute to the nation’s economic and social wellbeing.
Canadian universities today, play an increasingly multifaceted role in our society. They attract and develop talent on a large scale. They are arbiters of truth in a “post-truth” era. And they are among the very few remaining forums for civil, critical debate among people of diverse perspectives.
Within their communities, Canada’s universities are engines of progress, as much enabling the flourishing of individuals as they do their local economy. As a $40 billion enterprise in direct expenditures, Canada’s universities are significant drivers of economic prosperity. They provide employment for over 400,000 people, including vast numbers of highly educated specialists and talent attracted from around the world.
If we look at our international students alone, they stimulate the national economy by a staggering $22.3 billion, which surpasses revenues generated by the export of auto parts, lumber, or aircrafts.
Canada’s universities serve society in all these capacities, and more. These days, however, they are doing so within an increasingly fraught socio-political context.
If we pause to take stock of the state of our world, we are confronted with intensified economic divides and income inequality, entrenched political tribalism, and a democracy weakened by encroaching authoritarianism. Au Canada, nous faisons face à des situations que certains considèrent comme les plus grandes menaces à la prospérité à long terme du pays depuis la fin de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale.
Historic labour shortages, a housing crisis, rampant inflation, and a growing aging population are some of the major challenges that we are dealing with. Recent leaps in artificial intelligence technology, in the form of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, are transforming in astonishing ways, how we work and communicate.
At the same time, serious concerns have been raised about widespread job displacement, bias and discrimination, and the potential for these technologies to be weaponized by the bad faith actors. As many of us are aware, within our universities, it has posed a threat to academic integrity — one that we are all working hard to adapt to.
And, of course, there is the greatest existential crisis of our time, climate change, and its impacts continue to loom large. The summer of 2023 was Earth's hottest on record. In Canada, the ravages of historic wildfires were felt across the country. Natural habitats were destroyed, entire communities were displaced.
Amid all this uncertainty and upheaval, I submit that one thing is clear: The mission of higher education has never been more critical. And, I would add that, meeting our responsibility to Canadians has never been more pressing.
Over the course of my career, I have been fortunate to have worked in six of Canada’s universities. Based on these experiences, and as a veteran of Universities Canada, I am confident that our universities are prepared to rise to the occasion.
Mais comment y arriverons-nous? Comment pouvons-nous continuer de jouer un rôle de premier plan en nous attaquant à ces défis et à d’autres problèmes complexes? Tout d’abord, nous devons préserver notre réputation d’établissement offrant un enseignement de qualité supérieure accessible à tous et à toutes.
A poll commissioned by Universities Canada this year found that only 52% of Canadians have a positive impression of our country’s universities, down from 78% in 2017. And less than half the public sampled (46%) consider the cost of tuition to be of fair value, down 9 points from 2017.
If we shift our focus to our neighbors in the United States, we note a bleaker picture. According to a recent survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal, the majority of Americans (56%) believe that a earning a four-year degree is not worth the cost, with skepticism being strongest among 18–34-year-olds.
And while the Canadian post-secondary education system differs in many respects from its American counterpart, it is important that we remain vigilant in the face of shifting public perception. So, the bottom line is that if we are to cultivate the support and respect of Canadians, we must continue to distinguish ourselves for our ability to deliver an education that is at once excellent as it is accessible.
I should also underscore that access, by extension, also entails equality of opportunity. Universities have a unique role to play as engines of upward social mobility, opening doors for academically deserving students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including for racialized members of our communities. Eradicating the systemic barriers that curtail or outright prevent their full participation in higher education must be a priority.
The diversity that we are nurturing across our campuses will, in turn, benefit the labour market and society for generations. Studies have shown that a diverse workplace is more productive, creative, and innovative. Par exemple, les effets sont particulièrement éloquents dans le milieu de la santé. Des études semblent indiquer qu’une augmentation du nombre de médecins noir de première ligne dans les hôpitaux se traduit par une augmentation des chances de survie pour les patients noirs. Nous devons continuer d’ouvrir nos portes aux étudiants potentiels de tous horizons.
Secondly, as I alluded to earlier, we seem to be living in a post-truth era. Canada’s universities have a leading role to play in combating the spread and impact of disinformation -- and 73% of Canadians would agree.
On a regular basis, we are confronted with instances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. While there are many contributing factors, we know that social media has both normalized and amplified this phenomenon. It has also contributed to the proliferation of disinformation – upon which lines of division are too often drawn between people of divergent worldviews and values.
Meanwhile, the public’s regard for the news continues its slow descent. The 2023 Digital News Report survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found that only 40% of Canadians say they trust most news, most of the time.
To understand the impact of these realities, we need only to look back to when world was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, we saw the politicization of a global health crisis, fuelled by the mass availability of misleading or false information online. According to Statistics Canada, during just the first few months of the pandemic, over half of all Canadians (53%) had shared information about COVID-19 that they found online, but without knowing if it was accurate.
At the same time, we witnessed the serious implications of our society’s mounting trust deficit. Conspiracy theories took root, and people aimed their suspicions not only toward political leaders, but also at the very science and technology that would save millions of lives and restart our economy. We know that COVID-19 will not be the last existential crisis that our world will face. We also know that the proliferation of false information and public distrust in institutions, if left unchecked, will make addressing future challenges, like climate change, far more difficult.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has identified three pillars for combating disinformation: one being education. On a basic level, higher education instills the ability to think critically, which encompasses digital and media literacy skills.
On another level, a university education, at its core, pushes young people to challenge their preconceived ideas on a regular basis. We are the town square of society, a place where debate doesn’t only happen, it is prized.
Rather than being a personal affront, disagreement is elevated as a learning opportunity, a way not only to expand knowledge but also to grow our empathy for one another. As a result, we are forming democratic citizens capable of participating in civic life in a meaningful way.
On ne saurait trop insister sur le rôle essentiel de la recherche universitaire. La création et la transmission du savoir sont deux importants remparts contre le flot de désinformation.
We have a responsibility to be a trusted voice in our society, to transmit our research to the broader public, and to bring sound solutions to the table. Scientists have been sounding the alarm on global warming and climate change for over 30 years. Global health experts had been warning of an impending global pandemic well before March 2020.
If our world was able to transition out of the pandemic, it was thanks to the science and technology behind mRNA vaccines. It was also thanks to the remarkable speed and scale at which these vaccines were developed and administered. A similarly complex degree of coordination, urgency, and reliance on cutting-edge innovations will be essential if we are going to succeed in limiting and adapting to climate change.
As institutions that convene experts from around the world, where cross-disciplinary research takes place, and where new technologies and innovative practices are developed, Canada’s universities have much to contribute to these efforts.
I had mentioned just now how academic researchers have been able to make informed predictions about the future – and often with impressive accuracy! Lingering further on this notion of the future brings me to my last point: In fulfilling their mission, Canada’s universities must be future-focused.
Offering the best quality education necessitates that we equip students, our leaders of tomorrow, with the skills they need both now and into the future. Being future-ready is essential: we have a responsibility to prepare them for their entire careers, not merely for the jobs they start upon graduation. According to the World Economic Forum, analytical and creative thinking, as well as AI and big data, will be the top in-demand skills by 2027.
Leadership, social influence, and curiosity are among other skills expected to see growing demand. And while these high-demand skills are likely to change over time, knowing how to learn is — and will continue to be — a critical skill.
Let me finish with an appeal to our entire sector nationwide, an appeal that is relevant in every corner of our country. Un cri du cœur, qui est pertinent partout au pays, sans exception, d’un océan à l’autre.
Progress doesn’t happen unless we all come together, combining our perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and abilities, to work on the problems that affect the future wellbeing of our country — and our global community.
- How do we transition to more sustainable energy-sources? Or address food security?
- What kind of policies and frameworks are needed to ensure the ethical use of AI?
- Comment apporter de la cohésion à une société fragmentée ?
- How do we bring cohesion to a fragmented society? Or safeguard our democracy and civil order?
As leaders of Canada’s universities, let us take this opportunity to recommit our efforts to these worthy causes, and more.
Let us focus on enabling fruitful debate and breaking down barriers, to safeguarding and amplifying the truth, and celebrating diversity in all forms. Let us continue to be an engine for upward social mobility and for more robust local communities. Finally, and importantly, let us continue to center the student experience and their needs, to instill in tomorrow’s leaders an unshakable sense of civic responsibility and a lifelong passion for learning. Together, we can contribute to building a stronger, more united, and prosperous Canada, for one and for all.
Thank you for your attention. Je vous remercie de votre attention.
Ěý