Juno News - September 17, 2025


University suspends professor over Charlie Kirk comments


Episode Stats

Length

12 minutes

Words per Minute

166.64027

Word Count

2,105

Sentence Count

86

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

3


Summary

The University of Alberta s Faculty of Law has suspended a professor after his comments were perceived as justifying Charlie Kirk s assassination. Albertan separatists are displeased with Alberta s premier, Danielle Smith, after she said she would do everything in her power to prevent a referendum vote on separation. Immigration officials in Canada are silent after True North discovered illicit online ads claiming to provide English proficiency exam results without the need for prospective immigrants to take an exam.


Transcript

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.
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
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,
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
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
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