This article originally appeared in the National Post. Below is an excerpt from the article.
By Peter MacKinnon, September 10, 2025
On the question whether there is a free speech issue, problem or crisis on our university campuses, there are two distinct views. Some in our universities say no; the issue is either imaginary or vastly overblown; others differ, expressing concern that it is real and substantial. We do not have to leave the matter in the realm of speculation; we can ask those most directly affected: the students.
That is what the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy did. It surveyed 1,174 students from 34 Canadian universities in 2024 and 2025, receiving full responses from 760; others answered some questions only (respondents were not required to answer all of the questions). They were asked to indicate their comfort or reluctance in expressing their views on five potentially controversial areas: politics, religion, race, gender and sexual orientation.
On politics the respondents were almost evenly divided: half were comfortable expressing their views; half were not. On religion, 40 per cent were reluctant to disclose their opinions on matters of faith or religion, the same percentage as for race. On gender and sexuality, about 43 per cent were reluctant to express themselves.
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Peter MacKinnon is President Emeritus of the University of Saskatchewan and a senior fellow of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and the Aristotle Foundation.
