Politics on tap at Award Winners Speaker Series

Nipissing’s Award Winners Speaker Series gets political on October 29, at 7 p.m. in the Harris Learning Library with Dr. David Tabachnick discussing How Big is that Crucifix?: The Charter of Quebec Values as an Attack on Multiculturalism.

The Charter of Quebec Values is presented as a proposal to assert religious neutrality in Quebec society. This includes the prohibition of the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols by public servants, including headscarves, yarmulkes and crucifixes. This presentation will highlight the absurdity of placing the state in a position of judging the religious intention behind how people dress as well as revealing the deeper story behind the Charter as an attack on multiculturalism and an attempt to replace it with an “interculturalism” that affirms a rather particular set of values supported by the separatist Parti Québécois.
The presentation is free of charge and all are welcome.

Future speakers include:

November 19: Dr. Amir Erfani, A reversal in the population policy of Iran: Do curbing family planning programs raise low fertility?

January 21: Dr. Trevor Smith, Quality Palliative Care in Ontario: the role of standardized comprehensive assessment

February 25: Dr. Jeff Dech, Seeing the forest for the trees: ecological modelling of forest landscapes

The Award Winners Speakers Series was introduced last year in celebration of the university’s 20th anniversary as an independent degree granting institution. The series features Nipissing faculty who have earned a prestigious Research Achievement Award, speaking about their work.

This year, the Award Winners Speakers Series is also connecting to Research Matters, a larger initiative working to cast light on the amazing research that is ongoing at universities throughout Ontario.

Some people think university research is somehow removed from day-to-day life. They couldn’t be more wrong. Ontario university researchers touch every aspect of life through their work.

The Research Matters campaign is a collaboration among Ontario’s 21 universities to find new ways to tell stories about how research is changing lives. Ontario’s universities produce a steady stream of useful and fascinating research that transform how people live, work and play, across the province and around the world.

Through a website, public events, and many other campaign activities, Research Matters aims to provide the public with unprecedented access to Ontario researchers and their work.