Laval University dismisses professor who was critical of COVID vaccination
Quebec City’s Laval University has terminated a professor who was critical of COVID-19 vaccination after subjecting him to multiple suspensions, which critics view as an assault on academic freedom.
Until recently, Patrick Provost served as a full professor in the Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, and Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University.
These statements triggered complaints against him, leading to two suspensions without pay. Despite challenges from Mr. Provost and his union against the initial suspension, he was ultimately dismissed.
Laval University confirmed that Mr. Provost is no longer part of their staff but refrained from providing further comments, citing privacy concerns.
“At this time, Patrick Provost is no longer employed by Laval University,” stated spokesperson Andrée-Anne Stewart to The Epoch Times.
Mr. Provost expressed his belief to The Epoch Times that a favorable ruling from an arbitrator on his first suspension could potentially reverse the dismissal. “It’s like a chain reaction,” he remarked.
He also mentioned that his termination did not catch him by surprise due to the university’s unwavering stance on silencing him.
While Mr. Provost’s union did not respond to requests for comments, the broader federation of university unions it is part of condemned the dismissal as an “unacceptable infringement on academic freedom.”
Madeleine Pastinelli, president of the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d’université, stated, “If the ideas advocated by a professor are controversial or incorrect, it should be the responsibility of other experts in the field to critique or challenge them scientifically, rather than allowing managers to dictate what is valid or invalid from a scientific perspective.”
The ruling Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party in Quebec enacted a legislation in June 2022 to safeguard academic freedom.
Efforts to reach Quebec’s Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry for comments were unsuccessful.
Quebec Conservative Party Leader Éric Duhaime urged Ms. Déry to enforce the law and reinstate Mr. Provost, affirming that professors should not fear reprisal for expressing dissent against governmental directives in a democratic society.
Mr. Provost faced suspension without pay from Laval University for eight weeks in 2022 and four months in 2023. Both the professor and his union have filed formal complaints regarding these suspensions, with a decision on the initial suspension expected in December.
