Nine Canadian academics have written an open letter to defend Laval biochemistry professor Patrick Provost who was fired for his views on COVID-19 vaccines.Provost was fired March 28. He had been a full professor in the Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University.The researcher spoke out against COVID-19 restrictions in June of 2022. He also said COVID-19 shots should not be given to children, given their low risk of serious illness and uncertainties around the injections.Provost was suspended without pay by Laval University for eight weeks in 2022 and four months in 2023. The professor and his union filed grievances for both suspensions. Provost told the Epoch Times a decision on the first suspension could be handed down in December.The recent dismissal prompted an open and collaborative response from Canadian academics."This persecution of a Quebec scientist, Patrick Provost, belongs to a much wider campaign, not to save science, but to suppress scientific dissent from a narrative in which there are powerful vested interests, both economic and political," they wrote."Whether Provost is in good company or bad, however, and whether he was right or wrong in particular findings or opinions, is beside the point. He did his job as a scientist and as a citizen. He fulfilled a fiduciary duty in the academy and to the general public, whose tax dollars pay for the academy. People like this should be rewarded, not punished, for their faithfulness and courage. Those who seek to punish them undermine the scientific enterprise and invite probing questions as to their real motivation for doing so."The writers said many things were at stake, including the livelihood of Provost, the worth of Laval University, and the integrity of Quebec's Act Respecting Academic Freedom in the University Environment, passed in 2022."For all who work in that environment, [academics need] the confidence that they can and should go where the evidence leads, without fear of discipline for producing results that others may find inconvenient or upsetting," they wrote."Patrick Provost drew a line at what amounted to medical experimentation on children. He stood for the weak when he stood for children. The question is: Who will stand with him now? Who will take his side? We call for his reinstatement, with a full apology from the university. We applaud the unions and professional associations that are doing likewise. We urge students and alumni and honest donors to add their voice and their weight, not only at Laval but wherever such betrayals are taking place." If a university censors, so will other institutions, they argued.The letter warned that "an astonishing rise in censorship" and other "bullying and coercion" that included both academic and governmental institutions had already taken place.The letter, published by the Brownstone Institute under the title The Service of Dissent was signed byDouglas Farrow, professor, McGill UniversityJane Adolphe, professor, Ave Maria School of LawClaudia Chaufan, MD, assoc. professor, York UniversityJanice Fiamengo, professor (ret.), University of OttawaDaniel Lemire, professor, Université du Québec (TÉLUQ)Steven Pelech, professor, University of British ColumbiaPhilip Carl Salzman, professor emeritus, McGill UniversityTravis Smith, assoc. professor, Concordia UniversityMaximilian Forte, professor, Concordia University.
