Ontario Tech University (OTU) is using a provision of the Privacy Act (FIPPA) to prevent the release of a list of the 300 “far-right” extremist groups operating in Canada, which has been cited by the Liberal government to bolster impending anti-hate legislation.
In response to an access to information request filed by True North to have the university identify the said groups, OTU administrators cited certain exceptions which bar the release of records “associated with research conducted or proposed by an employee of an educational institution or by a person associated with an educational institution.”
“The request in this case is for specific details regarding methodology of the research project, as well as the data obtained through research which clearly meets and exceeds the threshold for exclusion from FIPPA,” wrote the OTU registrar.
In 2020, prominent OTU Professor Barbara Perry, Director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism, concluded in a $366,985 taxpayer-funded study that there were 300 active far-right groups operating in Canada.
Perry, who has been cited extensively by Public Safety Canada and has testified before the House of Commons, has never produced a list of the groups. Most recently, the Minister of National Defence Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination cited the claim last spring.
The OTU did, however, release an email chain pertaining to negative media coverage of Perry’s study.
In reference to an op-ed by National Post columnist Jonathan Kay questioning why nobody can name the hate groups, OTU vice president of external relations and advancement Susan T. McGovern responded by downplaying Kay’s and others’ concerns about a lack of transparency by claiming “academic freedom.”
“Just letting you know that a National Post comment piece was published today that is critical of Barbara Perry and her research,” wrote OTU’s social media coordinator Marie Harvey on Jan. 27, 2021.
“So far very few mentions and/or tags of the university or (the Centre of Hate, Bias and Extremism) in the conversation, but will continue to monitor,” continued Harvey.
“What are they criticizing? And I recall this happened before,” replied McGovern.
“The number of right-wing groups. He said Barb’s reported various numbers of the years. He asked her for her list and she said she’s not releasing it until the spring. He said she’s had the list for more than two years,” emailed Harvey.
Perry did not publicly release the list in the Spring of 2021.
“Boo boo. (sic) It won’t be the only bad press she will get,” McGovern wrote back. “She can take it. We stand behind a (sic) academic freedom.”
