Juno News - University suspends professor over Charlie Kirk comments

00:00:00.000 The University of Alberta's Faculty of Law has suspended a professor after his comments were

00:00:09.600 perceived as justifying Charlie Kirk's assassination. Albertan separatists are

00:00:14.460 displeased with Alberta's premier, Danielle Smith, after she said she would do everything

00:00:18.780 in her power to quote, prevent a referendum vote on separation. Immigration officials in

00:00:24.660 Canada are silent after True North discovered illicit online advertisements claiming to

00:00:29.940 provide English proficiency exam results without the need for prospective immigrants to take an exam. 0.55

00:00:35.460 Hello Canada, it's Wednesday, September 17th and this is the True North Daily Brief. I'm Isaac

00:00:40.360 Lamoureux. I'm Alex Zoltay. We've got you covered with all the news you need to know. Let's discuss

00:00:45.500 the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.

00:00:53.600 The University of Alberta's Faculty of Law has announced that a faculty member has been placed

00:00:58.800 on leave following online controversy linked to Charlie Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley

00:01:03.760 University on September 10th. The university told True North that it had implemented additional

00:01:08.940 security measures following online comments from some of its members over the last few days.

00:01:13.600 In an email to students, the faculty's dean, Fiona Kelly, said that threats have targeted faculty,

00:01:20.040 staff, and student groups. Kelly's email said quote,

00:01:23.260 The university became aware of concerning online comments involving members of our community over

00:01:28.520 the last several days. Due to the violent nature of the attack on September 10th and the fact that

00:01:33.280 it was perpetrated on a university campus, the university administration must move to ensure

00:01:38.760 the safety of all faculty, staff, and students, particularly those who are targets of online threats

00:01:44.220 and vitriol. In the wake of Kirk's killing, a post by University of Alberta Faculty of Law Assistant

00:01:49.580 Professor Florence Ashley was widely circulated and led to widespread blowback. The university refused

00:01:56.220 to confirm whether Ashley was the faculty member who was placed on leave. A university spokesperson told

00:02:01.980 True North, quote, Due to privacy and safety considerations, we cannot confirm the identity of the faculty

00:02:08.280 member involved. The individual has been placed on non-disciplinary leave, a temporary administrative

00:02:13.640 step taken to allow a thorough review while supporting community safety. Ashley captioned a post

00:02:19.000 in relation to Ezra Klein's opinion piece titled Charlie Kirk was practicing politics the right way.

00:02:24.120 Her caption reads, quote, You do not, in fact, ever have to hand it to the Nazis. I utterly do not care

00:02:29.980 for any virtues that someone may perceive in them. So, Alex, who is this professor and why do people feel

00:02:36.160 he should have been fired? So, Isaac, this professor is a very, I'll call them interesting character.

00:02:42.720 They are an assistant university professor in law at the University of Alberta, very, very far left by

00:02:50.160 most appearances. And the quote that is being attributed to them, which is a quote of concern,

00:02:55.440 is you do not, quote, In fact, ever have to hand it to the Nazis. I utterly do not care for any virtues

00:03:03.680 that someone may perceive in them. This is not a direct accusation of Charlie Kirk being a Nazi,

00:03:10.720 but you could certainly make the inference that Florence is aligning him with Nazis. And I think 0.61

00:03:16.800 that a lot of people feel that that is completely beyond the pale in the wake of a horrific and tragic

00:03:22.320 political assassination. And some people have even gone as far as to suggest that it is a subversive

00:03:29.120 justification for his political assassination. That being said, I think it's important to value

00:03:36.400 freedom of speech above cancel culture as a matter of principle. I find these comments disheartening,

00:03:41.120 and I find them absolutely abhorrent and disgusting. But I also think that it's important to protect,

00:03:46.480 above all else, our right to say things, sometimes recklessly. But of course, you know, if something

00:03:52.880 it raises to the level of incitement, legally speaking, that's a whole other matter. Ultimately,

00:03:57.600 it's up to every employer, whether they want to keep an employee, regardless of what they say. And

00:04:01.680 so it's up to the University of Alberta. But just as a matter of principle, I think that it is important

00:04:06.560 that free speech is protected. And I think if there's one thing that we should remember about

00:04:11.280 Charlie Kirk and his legacy is that he particularly thought universities were meant to be arenas where

00:04:16.400 ideas, even extremely offensive ones, can be expressed, debated, and ultimately countered with better

00:04:21.520 arguments rather than being censored through administrative fiat. And so I don't think we do ourselves

00:04:26.240 any favor if we allow the worst moments of speech to justify voting the very freedoms that underpin

00:04:30.640 our institutions. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's statement that she was doing everything in her

00:04:38.160 power to, quote, prevent a referendum vote has rattled key figures in the Alberta independence camp.

00:04:43.440 Smith's response came to a question about former Premier Jason Kenney's stance against holding an

00:04:47.600 independence referendum, where he said that the vote alone would divide families, communities,

00:04:51.680 marriages, and more across the province. In her response to Kenney's comments, she specifically

00:04:56.400 mentioned only former cabinet minister Thomas Lukasik's pro-Canada referendum question, not the

00:05:01.600 Alberta Prosperity Project's independence petition, currently up for consideration before the courts.

00:05:06.800 This is why I'm doing everything I can to prevent a vote, because Mr Lukasik's vote is a yes,

00:05:16.640 no question. It is a separatist referendum. He may be trying to characterize it differently.

00:05:21.920 But if you ask people if you want to remain in Alberta, yes or no, there are implications if people

00:05:27.360 answer no. So I have been very clear that I believe in Alberta sovereignty within United Canada. I am

00:05:32.800 working with the federal government to try to address what I think are significant and real grievances

00:05:37.760 that have Albertans feeling frustrated. And I'm hopeful that we'll be able to have a joint announcement

00:05:43.360 soon and that it will, it'll take the temperature down on this.

00:05:46.800 Republican Party of Alberta leader Cam Davies said he thinks Smith's recent comments are at odds with

00:05:51.360 the base of what her party wants. He said, quote, Albertans want to have a vote and their voice heard

00:05:56.880 on the issue. Davies and his party faced their first test in the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills by-election,

00:06:02.160 where he came in third place with 17.66% of the vote. The Alberta Prosperity Project told

00:06:07.200 True North that Ottawa had nothing to offer that could match the prospect of separation.

00:06:11.920 So Isaac, what are the supporters of a sovereign Alberta saying about this exactly? And wasn't

00:06:16.480 Daniel Smith championing the right for Albertans to decide whether they want to stay or leave just

00:06:20.240 a few months ago? Yeah, Alex. So supporters of Alberta sovereignty are making it clear

00:06:25.120 they see Daniel Smith's new stance as backpedaling. For example, Republican Party of Alberta leader Cam

00:06:30.880 Davies told me that when Smith says she'll do everything to prevent a vote, she's going against

00:06:36.080 not just her own party's grassroots, but against Albertans more broadly. Davies said, quote,

00:06:41.360 Albertans want to have a vote and have their voices heard on the issue. He argued that Smith's

00:06:46.320 new positioning is doublespeak, pointing to Bill 54, which added court oversight requirements that

00:06:52.240 have now stalled the Alberta Prosperity Project's petition. Regarding Bill 54, Davies said, quote,

00:06:58.160 it was never her intention to allow this question to come to a vote. It has always been the premier's

00:07:03.120 intention to deter, stifle, and ensure that this vote never comes about. He emphasized that his party

00:07:09.440 doesn't even think citizen petitions should be necessary, he said. The provincial government

00:07:14.400 has the power to call a binding referendum under the Referendum Act at any time and should simply do

00:07:19.760 it rather than putting independence activists through what he called make work projects designed

00:07:24.800 to deflate and tire out Alberta independence activists and organizers. He also blasted Smith's

00:07:30.160 cooperation with Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying it shows the United Conservatives are, quote,

00:07:35.360 all bark and no bite. And you're right, Alex, just a few months ago, Smith was promising Albertans

00:07:40.320 the opposite. She pledged to put the question of separation on the ballot in 2026 if enough

00:07:45.840 signatures were gathered. And that earlier promise came shortly before her Alberta next town halls,

00:07:51.600 which will determine a series of referendum questions that can be bundled together on referendum in 2026.

00:07:58.800 But now Smith is signaling that she'll try to stop any independence question from reaching voters, 0.77

00:08:03.440 even as petitions from both Thomas Lukasik and the Alberta Prosperity Project continue to move

00:08:08.800 through elections Alberta and the courts. And Davies said that if Alberta announced a referendum

00:08:13.840 on separation to occur in eight months and then subsequently pursued an Alberta pension plan,

00:08:19.600 a provincial police force, independent tax collection and control over immigration,

00:08:24.400 Ottawa's reaction would reveal Alberta's second class status within Confederation. And Davies said,

00:08:30.880 quote, I have no doubt in my mind that as we approach that eight month mark for an actual

00:08:35.600 referendum vote, it would be over 50 percent.

00:08:42.240 Federal immigration authorities are silent about illicit online advertisements actively targeting

00:08:47.680 newcomers to Canada with fraudulent claims about bypassing Canada's immigration language

00:08:52.560 requirements. Several online ads are misleading prospective immigrants into believing they can bypass

00:08:58.080 English proficiency tests and get approved for visas without taking an exam.

00:09:02.640 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada requires applicants for several work-related visas

00:09:08.080 and those seeking permanent residency in Canada to have Canadian English language proficiency index

00:09:13.840 program or international English language testing systems accreditation or the French language

00:09:20.240 equivalents to be accepted. Neither Canada's immigration minister,

00:09:23.760 Lena Diab nor the IRCC nor Paragon Testing which runs the CELP-IP program and is accredited by the IRCC to give

00:09:33.280 CELP-IP licensing responded to True North's request for comments. However, several online ads are misleading

00:09:41.360 migrants by suggesting they can bypass the program's exams, upgrade their previous scores or even purchase 1.00

00:09:47.360 leaked exam questions and answers to achieve accreditation. One such ad on Facebook from

00:09:52.560 the CELP-IP Success Hub with study material questions and answers page tells migrants they can purchase

00:09:58.320 IELTS and CELP-IP scores quote without exam. The group claim quote we ensure that your IELTS and CELP-IP

00:10:08.320 scores are not only authentic but also verified in the official portal. Obtain your best IELTS and CELP-IP

00:10:15.440 scores without taking the exam in 2025. Paragon Testing, IRCC and Diab did not respond to questions regarding

00:10:22.000 assurances about the integrity of language proficiency tests. So Alex whether these are scammers or just

00:10:27.680 individuals legitimately undermining Canada's immigration system, what are some of these ads

00:10:32.480 saying and how are they targeting newcomers to Canada? Well I would say that they are both scammers

00:10:38.720 and individuals looking to undermine the immigration system and I would say that it is reflective of

00:10:44.640 endemic fraud throughout the Canadian immigration system. They're targeting newcomers by offering

00:10:51.040 them either legitimate or illegitimate ways to bypass Canadian language laws and that ends up putting

00:10:58.880 a huge strain on the entire system. As an example Isaac I work as a crime reporter for True North

00:11:04.240 and the amount of language interpreters that are required in particular courthouses you know Toronto

00:11:10.000 Armory Courthouse comes to mind it's a very multi-ethnic city. I had seen interpreters for languages that I

00:11:16.320 didn't even know existed. I actually have a bit of a list of some of the interpreter languages that I have

00:11:22.000 seen in the Toronto Armory Courthouse of course you have you know English speakers don't require an

00:11:27.280 interpreter you have French interpreters you'd expect that in Canada given that it's one of our

00:11:31.040 official languages. But I've also seen Mandarin interpreters, Cantonese, Punjabi you would expect there's a

00:11:37.600 large Punjabi population in Toronto, Urdu, Tagalog, Hindi, Polish, Farsi, Gujarati, Bengali,

00:11:47.680 Telugu, Nepali, Pashtun, Dari, Kashmiri. This is just a small list a sample size of some of the language

00:11:55.680 interpreters that we have seen in in criminal court in particular bail court. It puts a huge

00:12:01.840 strain on the entire system and so this is not only a scam meant to take advantage of newcomers but it

00:12:08.000 also ends up undermining and putting a huge strain on a lot of our systems including most importantly

00:12:14.480 in my opinion the criminal justice system which is already under an incredible amount of strain given

00:12:18.560 the recent crime wave across the country. That's it for today folks thanks for tuning

00:12:25.600 in you can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on

00:12:29.840 iTunes and Spotify. Also while you're at it make sure to hit us with a five-star rating and please leave a review.

Juno News - September 17, 2025

University suspends professor over Charlie Kirk comments

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript