Outspoken professor stokes free-speech debate
HALIFAX — An associate professor at Acadia University is facing a growing backlash over incendiary social media comments, stoking a national debate about free speech on campus amid calls for his ouster from the Wolfville, N.S., school.
Rick Mehta, a psychology professor and advocate of free speech, has commented publicly on a range of controversial issues from decolonization to multiculturalism, prompting both public outcry and support.
While his defenders say his voice is an antidote to political correctness run amok, his critics say his online comments attack marginalized people and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
The acrimonious debate has spurred a Halifax-based activist to launch a petition demanding his removal from the small-town Nova Scotia university, while a counter-petition is calling for him to stay in the classroom as a beacon of freedom of expression.
The controversy follows an uproar at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., last fall when a teaching assistant was disciplined for airing a debate clip featuring a controversial figure.
Lindsay Shepherd was reprimanded for failing to condemn the views of University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson, though it later came to light that no formal complaint was filed against her. Peterson, a psychology professor, refused to use gender-neutral pronouns to address students.