At MLI’s August 2025 Rethinking Higher Education conference, the third of three panels – titled The role of government in shaping universities – turned its attention to one of the most contested questions in academia today: what role should government play in shaping the mission and structure of Canadian universities?
The discussion centered on whether reform should emerge primarily from within universities themselves, through internal governance and academic culture, or whether external pressure will be necessary to address growing concerns about academic freedom, institutional accountability, and responsiveness to society’s needs.
The panel, moderated by Mark Harding, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph, featured:
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Ryan Alford, Professor at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University, who drew on his expertise in constitutional law and civil liberties to argue for the protection of academic freedom and university independence;
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Ian Brodie, Professor of Political Science at the University of Calgary, who brought the perspective of both a scholar and a former political advisor, reflecting on how political and policy dynamics shape universities. Brodie discussed the pressures governments face in balancing public funding with expectations for accountability and responsiveness from academic institutions.
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Peter MacKinnon, former Dean of Law at the University of Saskatchewan and author of Confronting Illiberalism: A Canadian Perspective, who highlighted the growing ideological pressures within universities that threaten intellectual diversity. McKinnon outlined how government, donors, and civil society may play a role in challenging these trends while ensuring universities remain places of free inquiry.
Members of the panel discussed the best ways to safeguard academic integrity and public trust in higher education, while grappling with the enduring tension between autonomy and accountability in Canada’s universities.
