Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Building on my colleague's statement regarding the recent firing of the president of Aurora College, I would like to speak today about the importance of academic freedom.
This past week, a number of MLAs met with Dechinta University, an example of what a thriving and inspiring university can look like in the North. Fundamental to their success and in establishing a successful grant and research programming with funding from the federal government has been academic freedom. In order for a university to thrive, it must be nimble, it must be able to move quickly, and it must be able to be critical of government. I am very skeptical that Aurora College is in a position to do that now and on the path that we are going forward will take it there.
It saddens me that Aurora College is one of the most costly colleges to run in the country and one of the least successful. However, I think this reality should be recognition on all our parts that we can do better. I want Aurora College to inspire. I want the residents of Fort Smith to be excited, yet, repeatedly, when I have conversations about this, there is a lack of enthusiasm. I think people are scared.
Now, we have a president leading this transformation who is a former bureaucrat. I do not believe that is the right path to head down if we truly want to create a northern university that is inspiring, that will meet the demands of our citizens, and will lead us into the future. I will have questions for the Minister of ECE. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.