RELIGHT THE BEACON
The FQPPU Calls on the Public to Sign the Petition Presented to the Assemblée nationale to Protect University's Mission

As academic freedom regresses around the world, the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d'université (FQPPU) is launching a petition submitted to the National Assembly to protect Quebec's universities. 

In a global context where the university's public mission faces increasing threats from political, ideological, and economic pressures, the FQPPU urges the public to relight the beacon and rally in defence of university funding, academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and collegial governance.

Around the world, universities' capacity to fulfil their public mission is at risk. The latest Academic Freedom Index shows a notable drop in academic freedom across 34 countries over the past decade - including longstanding democracies once believed to be protected from such threats - due to the rise of anti-pluralist forces and the increased politicization of knowledge.

The Free to Think 2025 report by Scholars at Risk highlights a worrying trend: the freedom to teach, the exchange of ideas, and institutional autonomy are all being undermined by political interference, economic pressures, and direct attacks on scholars. According to the organization, the world is currently facing "a global crisis of academic freedom."

In Quebec, as elsewhere, these trends threaten the university's role as a space for free thought and informed debate. Although the province's Act respecting academic freedom in the university sector formally acknowledges this right, its exercise remains delicate. Political interference inside higher education institutions has darkened recent years. Meanwhile, funding freezes and budget cuts - along with a historic 46% decline in international student applications following government restrictions - have brought many universities to the brink.

The petition submitted to the National Assembly symbolizes a strong democratic act to reverse this trend and reaffirm the university's role as a public good. The concerning developments happening south of the border make it clear: what is at stake is the future of upcoming generations, democracy itself, and our collective ability to think freely and critically.

Relighting the Beacon Together

Every signature matters. Each name added to this petition clearly communicates to policymakers the significance of the university's mission: to shed light on our present and assist in finding solutions for the future amid unprecedented social and environmental crises.

"The university is neither a tool at the service of political parties nor a business serving private interests," says Madeleine Pastinelli, president of the FQPPU. "It is a space for free inquiry and debate: a collective beacon that lights our societies and allows us to imagine new possibilities. Signing this petition is a way to ensure that this beacon keeps shining."

For Fasal Kanouté, vice-president of the FQPPU, "This simple act is one of solidarity with those who teach, research, and share knowledge in an increasingly difficult context. It is also a way to affirm our collective will to build an accessible, inclusive, and socially engaged university for all."

The Relight the Beacon campaign is centred on five key pillars of the university's mission:

1. Adequate and sustainable public funding
2. Comprehensive protection of academic freedom
3. Authentic collegial governance
4. Meaningful institutional autonomy
5. A united front against the commodification of knowledge

This petition is only the first step. It begins a broad, collective effort - both academic and civic - to restore and protect the university's public mission for the future. To relight the beacon means committing to keep it shining, together, for generations to come.