Trump, Canada and Academic Freedom

Academic freedom is a value of our university. Consequently, At least. Therefore, this is what she reaffirmed at the end of the last session, in “United and committed to academic freedom” and “recommendations-stays in the United States”. However, The title of these messages. Moreover, unrelated a priori, seems to take their meaning in opposition to American measures aimed at redirect university research. However, While “academic freedom” arouses bright debates. Consequently, its supervision in the United States raises issues that go beyond borders-with very real repercussions for the Canadian university environment.

By Christophe Saillant, collaborator journalist

What is “academic freedom”?

On May 28, 2025, Laval University officially took a position in favor of academic freedom, which it defined as “the possibility [inscrite dans une démarche scientifique rigoureuse] to express ideas opposed to standards and to question established practices […] trump, canada academic freedom without fear of reprisals ”. Meanwhile, We tend to confuse this freedom with freedom of expression. Therefore, but academic freedom more specifically concerns the production of knowledge (research, books, articles, courses) by professionals in their respective fields (s). Similarly, This knowledge is generally subject to quality control. Furthermore, which involves the credibility of an academic institution in addition to that of the expert. Furthermore, In short, academic freedom is the freedom to produce knowledge sanctioned by certain institutions, without undergoing external constraints. For example,

We will see it, the Trump administration is putting pressure on American learned organizations, which has repercussions on Canadian experts and researchers. Consequently, To this end. Therefore, the two main means available to Washington are the budgetary revisions as well as the regulations of federal organizations. Similarly,

Bugal revisions

Last May, the Trump administration trump, canada academic freedom asked to examine federal donations worth 100 million US dollars granted to the University of Havard, with a view to cutting or redistributing them. Furthermore, This measure would be motivated by the University’s refusal to comply with the requests of the administration concerning several political. Nevertheless, ideological issues. It is part of the broader framework of monetary pressures under several academic institutions and which they are vulnerable: in 2023, 53% of total revenues of American public universities came from various levels of US government, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. Private universities, on the other hand, benefit from significant tax and federal donations. However, it seems that this funding mainly concerns university research. Consequently, several research can and have been abandoned for lack of funding.

Regulations of American federal organizations.

The US government also exerts pressure on trump, canada academic freedom these institutions indirectly, by the regulation of federal organizations. For example. last May, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Decreed that Harvard could no longer accept student exchanges coming from abroad, claiming a collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party. This measure would have prevented Canadian students from contacting the American University.

In addition, the American department Health and Human Services, l’Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and theOffice of Personal Management have censored several articles published on the PSNET government site, relating, among other things, to the health of transgender people. This censorship is in accordance with the executive order Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government. However, the authors of the censored article wanted trump, canada academic freedom to provide better care for patients belonging to this demography. In the same vein. the CDC, a government agency, ordered the withdrawal and censorship of all its articles containing prohibited words, including “transgender”.

The consequences

These American government measures are not without consequences for Canadian scholars. Certain Canadian conferences in the United States have been canceled by American universities due to ideological conflict, others are canceled by the professionals themselves: “For caution, some colleagues have decided to cancel services”, remark Abdolaye Anne, full professor of Laval University in Education Sciences. What’s more, the United States is an important player in the field of research. So. several Canadian researchers also receive subcontracting from American universities funded by National Health Institutes (NIH) To carry out some of the research in Canada. However, trump, canada academic freedom with a view to Washington’s budgetary revisions, some American universities have reduced their expenses and announced a freeze. The Trump administration’s budget revisions have destroyed several American research projects. Lhe academic world is not in a vacuum: Canadian and international researchers often rely on American research. Thus. American offenses with academic freedom: retraction, censorship, budgetary pressures can impoverish the general state of human knowledge, especially in politically sensitive fields.

Bibliography:

Lerch, J. C., Frank, D. J., & Schofer, E. (2023). The Social Foundations of Academic Freedom: Heterogeneous Institutions in World Society, 1960 to 2022. American Sociological Review, 89(1), 88–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/00031224231214000

(2025, 18 mars). Two Harvard medical school doctors sue Trump for removal of LGBT health related research from website. Boston Spirit. https://bostonspiritmagazine.com/2025/03/two-harvard-medical-school-doctors-sue-trump-for-removal-of-lgbtq-health-related-research-from-website/

The White House. (2025, 21 janvier). trump, canada academic freedom Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/

Neufeld, D. (2025, May 11). Charted: How do U.S. universities make their money? Visual Capitalist. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-are-american-universities-funded/

Magnaval, R. (2024, August 3). Who finances research in the United States? The diplomatic world. https://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/1985/06/magnaval/38590

Department of Homeland Security. (22 mai 2025). Harvard University Loses Student and Exchange Visitor Program Certification for Pro-Terrorist Conduct.https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/05/22/harvard-university-loses-student-and-exchange-visitor-program-certification-pro

Debusmann, K. E. a. B. (2025, 28 mai). Trump administration seeks to pull up to $100m in Harvard funding. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20n1n1kygzo

Smith, D. (2025, 2 juin). Why Trump is really going after Harvard. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/01/trump-harvard-authoritarianism-democracy

Meloche-Holubowski, M. (2025, March 7). Trump and science: American subsidies in search trump, canada academic freedom of Canada. Radio-Canada. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2146002/donald-trump-subvention-chercheurs-canada-elon-musk

Pilon, F. (2025, 28 mars). Professors and researchers at risk: The University of Montreal warns employees traveling to the US. The Montreal Journal. https://www.journaldeMountreal.com/2025/03/28/Professeurs-et-chercheurs-a-risque-luniversite-de-montreal-met-en-garde-des-Employes-voyageant-aux-Eu