大象传媒

During the 2024-2025 academic year, the Morgan Centre for Labour Research and the Labour Studies Program hosted a timely and impactful series of five webinars addressing issues of racial profiling, academic freedom, and labour rights within the academy through the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project (CCFP). The CCFP was funded by (CAUT), (CCF), and the Morgan Centre for Labour Research.

Under the joint leadership and guidance of the Leadership Committee (Dr. David Robinson, Dr. John Price, and Dr. Kendra Strauss) and the Steering Committee (Dr. Xiaobei Chen, Dr. Lin Cai, Dr. Qiang Zha, and Dr. Ke Wu), and coordinated by Dr. Xinying Hu - with support from Cathy Walker, Adjunct Professor in the 大象传媒 Labour Studies Program, and Research Assistant Wenlan Gong - the series brought together scholars, faculty associations, graduate students, and policymakers for timely and critical dialogue. To accommodate participants from across Canada, all events were held on Fridays from 4:00PM - 5:30PM Pacific Time/7:00PM - 8:30PM Eastern Time.

The webinar series launched on October 18, 2024, with 鈥淏etween Science and Bias: Challenging Racial Profiling in the Academy鈥�. Featured speaker Dr. Lin Cai (University of Victoria) was joined by discussants Dr. Xiaobei Chen (Carleton University) and Dr. Qiang Zha (York University). The panel addressed the racial profiling of Chinese Canadian scholars in the wake of the federal government鈥檚 restriction policies on research collaborations with China. Of the 57 people registered, 52 attended the online event.

The second webinar, 鈥淎 Discussion on Academic freedom and Academic Labour Rights in B.C.鈥�, took place on November 29, 2024. It brought together scholars and graduate students across British Columbia to examine province-specific challenges to academic freedom and labour rights in higher education. Speakers included Dr. Lin Cai and Dr. Henry Yu (University of British Columbia), alongside representatives from , including Harjap Grewal and others. Fourteen participants took part in the discussion, which highlighted the growing challenges faced by Chinese Canadian academics and the potential for faculty associations to conduct surveys assessing the impact of these issues. A related survey conducted by the University of Victoria Faculty Association was completed earlier in the year.

The third webinar, 鈥淎 Conversation about Academic Freedom and Labour Rights鈥� held on January 31, 2025, featured Dr. Lynne Marks, President of the UVic Faculty Association, with facilitation by Dr. Lin Cai and Dr. John Price (University of Victoria). This session drew 56 attendees and explored the right of academic freedom in collective agreements and the importance of faculty association support in cases of racial profiling. The webinar encouraged faculty members to engage more actively with their local faculty associations, promote policy transparency, and strengthen collective responses..

The fourth event, 鈥淲orking with the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT)鈥� was held on February 28, 2025. Invited speakers Dr. Shirley Chau (UBC Okanagan) and Dr. Lanyan Chen (Nipissing University) shared personal reflections on why they became active in their faculty associations and how unions can support faculty members. They emphasized the importance of union engagement, documenting discriminatory practices, and collective advocacy for systemic change. Fourteen participants took part in the discussion.

The final event of the series, 鈥�Fighting Racial Profiling and the Criminalization of Academia in North America,鈥� was a hybrid event held on March 21, 2025. Featured speaker Dr. Anming Hu (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) shared his powerful story as the first academic wrongfully charged and brought to trial under the Trump administration鈥檚 China Initiative. He highlighted the dangers of racial profiling enabled by government policy and the lack of institutional support within academia. With 86 attendees (16 in-person and 70 online), the event attracted participants from across North America and received international attention.

Dr. Jane Wang (UBC) and Dr. Jie Yang (大象传媒) served as discussants, and Canadian Senator Yuen Pau Woo attended in person, calling on the federal government to strengthen protections for citizens facing similar wrongful legal challenges abroad. The webinar also facilitated transnational solidarity, with participation from American scholars and recognition by APA Justice in their newsletter.

With a total of 168 participants across the series, the webinars sparked widespread conversation and attracted media attention, including coverage in , a Chinese-language online magazine. The series not only raised awareness of racial profiling and the precarious position of Chinese Canadian academics, but also highlighted the importance of collective advocacy through faculty associations and the national union organization CAUT.

By fostering dialogue among scholars, students, faculty associations, policy makers, and the broader public, the CCFP has contributed to advancing academic freedom, defending academic labour rights, and resisting political interference in higher education.