Liberal Incubator as Think Tank

The University of Ottawa, handily situated "next to government and our national institutions as well as embassies from the world over", and invested with "respected scholars, accomplished researchers and outstanding teachers" is in a prime position to become Canada's next think tank, with its focus securely on ushering in the next generation of the country's leaders. At present, if any university has that focus and reputation, it is Queen's.
"By gathering together and consolidating the relevant talents that already reside in our various faculties and their departments, we will give profile and prominence to the outstanding scholars and practitioners who are already here, as well as adding to them through international recruitment", wrote the university's president, Allan Rock.
"Our intention is that the school will occupy a unique place in the Canadian academic firmament, contributing to both teaching and scholarship in ways that will be unmatched"; prepared to partner with other institutions of public policy within the country and internationally. "...accelerating discovery and refining insights through the sharing of information and the exchange of views."

University of Ottawa's president, Mr. Rock, is a very nice man. He is deeply invested in furthering Canada's interests - through the lens of the Liberal Party of Canada, understandably. A former elite Minister of the Crown, he had ambitions to become leader of the Liberal Party, and to gain the office of Prime Minister of Canada in the fulness of time. He was a good candidate, but someone else beat him to the position; in fact a succession of others, none of whom succeeded in their ambition to become prime minister, as it happened.

Advertising the nascent think tank to be non-partisan seems a bit of a stretch. Academia itself as an institution tends to be liberal in its values, not conservative.  Infamously, the University of Ottawa gave indication of just how intolerant it is of views counter to those of liberals when American conservative Ann Coulter, a political and social commentator, author, columnist and lawyer often invited to speak at public venues was refused her right to free speech in Canada.

She had been invited to speak at three Canadian universities, Western Ontario, Ottawa and Calgary, on a tour organized by the International Free Press Society. She received an email from Francois Houle, provost of University of Ottawa, forewarning her that "promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges". An unruly, enraged crowd of Liberal-supporting students, doubtless emboldened by the university administration's action, succeeded in warding off her speech at the university.

So much for being bi-partisan in nature. Moreover, none other than Kevin Page, formerly parliamentary budget officer for the Government of Canada has been the recipient of a three year posting as Jean-Luc Pepin Research Chair on Canadian Government at the university. And it is he who will be heading up the new think tank. Mr. Page famously went head-to-head on a regular basis with the very government he was appointed to aid in his position as parliamentary budget officer; his stint at that post was replete with press conferences slamming his employer, a Conservative-led government.

This combative, aggressive, clearly partisan man leading a think tank on government whose function is to give guidance in a bi-partisan manner? Not only was he a constant goad in the flank of the Conservative government, but once his term came to an end and was not, unsurprisingly, renewed -- given the constant conflict, rather than his pursuing his office in a more usefully diplomacy-guided and respectful manner -- he set about criticizing government for not appointing him to hand-pick a successor.

When an interim successor was chosen in the persona of the head of the Library of Parliament as a temporary figure, another individual with whom Mr. Page had troubled relations, he criticized that decision fervently. As well as criticizing the integrity of all those who applied for consideration as suitable appointees to the vacated position, despite their high qualifications. No one was immune from his strident criticisms, including those overseeing the selection process: his claim was,l speciously, the "process has failed miserably and dangerously".

All of this has been crowned with his intention to haul along with him to his new post at University of Ottawa, senior PBO staff. He appears to have colluded with those he means to purloin from the PBO to enhance his own new position and its mandate, undercutting the feasibility of a smooth transition for the incoming head of the Parliamentary Budget Office. A truly impressive performance. One that, evidently, has the approval of the University of Ottawa administration.

University of Ottawa; thegreenstudent.ca

eaked to the media. The e-mail warned that "promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges." Coulter released a public statement pointing out that by sending her the e-mail, Houle was promoting hatred against conservatives