ACCUTE’s annual conference is scheduled to begin on June 12, and we’re excited by all the great events that we have planned and by the opportunity for participants at all levels of their career, from graduate students to retired faculty members, to share their scholarly research and creative work and engage in meaningful and productive discussion of pedagogy and professional concerns. 

Our conference is part of the 2024 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences being held at McGill University. As you may know, the Association of McGill Law Professors (AMLP) is currently on strike, seeking to negotiate its first collective agreement. ACCUTE supports the right of university employees, including faculty members, to unionize and engage in collective bargaining, and we will not ask anyone to cross a picket line in order to participate in our conference. We have informed both the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and McGill University that if the strike is not resolved soon we will be forced to cancel all our events taking place on the McGill campus. Some scholarly associations have already cancelled their McGill events and many others are considering doing so.

As of today, we continue to hope that the AMLP and McGill will come to an agreement prior to the start of our conference, and we are still preparing for an in-person conference at McGill. We are, however, developing a contingency plan in the event that we are unable to hold our conference at McGill. We’re still working on the details, but rest assured that there will be a conference. We will be announcing our contingency plans no later than May 24, 2024. 

McGill’s campus is also the site of a Palestinian solidarity encampment, and McGill recently requested an injunction to allow the police to clear the encampment. ACCUTE strongly supports the right of students and other members of the academic community to protest and demand change from their institutions. By all accounts, the McGill encampment has been a site of solidarity and peaceful protest and has not prevented McGill students, staff, and faculty members from accessing classrooms, offices, and other university resources. ACCUTE condemns the use of police to clear the encampment and silence students. We urge McGill to rethink any plan to clear the encampment by force.

Congress and our conference provide an opportunity for dialogue, debate, and engagement. The presence of the encampment does not in any way limit our ability to engage in such discussions. Far from it, as the encampment is an important reminder of the context in which we teach, write, and research. If left in place, it will provide an opportunity for us to engage with the student protesters and reflect on the complex and serious issues facing us today, including the horrific situation in Gaza. I’m sure that many of those participating in the ACCUTE conference will take the opportunity to engage with and support those in the encampment, and Congress will provide an opportunity for the protesters to amplify their message.

If you have any questions about ACCUTE’s conference and/or our participation in Congress 2024, please don’t hesitate to contact me at divison@lakeheadu.ca. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours,

Douglas Ivison,

President, ACCUTE