Two University of Regina education professors have edited a new volume titled Knowledge Under Siege: Charting a Future for Universities (University of Regina Press, 2026), in which they identify fascism, settler colonialism, and other right-wing influences as threats to higher education. The editors and their contributors fill over 300 pages on the important subject of the future of universities, proclaiming that these institutions are besieged from the political right, including strong attacks on DEI, academic freedom, and tenure. They argue that universities must reaffirm their raison d'etre as autonomous and self-reflective institutions.
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) quickly supported this narrative, calling it an important milestone in the fight for higher education in a neoliberal age. However, former university president Peter MacKinnon contends that this narrative is incomplete and one-sided. He argues that external threats come from across the political spectrum, including strong identity politics, which have taken a greater hold in Canada than in other liberal democracies.
MacKinnon asserts that while it might be comforting to identify threats as emanating from external sources, the clear and present danger is from within. He points to the reflexive thumbs-up by CAUT, the silence of many faculty, students, and administrations when confronted by cancel culture, the denial of freedom of expression, and widespread discrimination in jobs and admissions. As an example, he cites the exclusion of straight white males from five academic competitions at Memorial University.
These actions, MacKinnon argues, are not characteristics of autonomous and self-reflective institutions. Rather, they help explain a widespread, declining confidence in universities as institutions committed to the search for truth and the preparation of students for careers and citizenship. The important question is why this decline in confidence is occurring, and the answer lies in the growing politicization of these institutions.
MacKinnon also notes that the call for greater autonomy and self-reflection may overlook the external interests that must be accommodated. Governments expect universities to embody the best traditions of academic freedom and democratic liberalism. Industries and businesses expect commitments to support commercialization and economic development. Families expect that attending members will be accorded priority, and the general public expects responsive institutions committed to teaching and research, serving the public good without partisan alignment.
To remain relevant, universities must focus on talent development, innovation for sustainable growth, accountability to students and the public, and partnership in economic and technological transformation. MacKinnon concludes that operational autonomy is important, as is reflection to support teaching and research excellence, but with due attention to the expectations of the many public and private sector interests on which universities depend.
Peter MacKinnon is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a King's Counsel, and a former president of three universities.
