The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) last week released “Open for Business: On What Terms?”, an analysis of university-corporate collaborations across Canada and their implications for academic integrity and the public interest. The report’s examination of the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ) in particular piqued the interest of Demilitarize McGill. By early 2013, CRIAQ had enlisted the participation of 14 universities, 9 research centers, and 52 companies to collaborate on research serving the Quebec aerospace industry. Corporate partners include Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, and CAE, the three companies that are partners in the CFD Lab. While the report does not address military research specifically, it offers a thorough analysis of how corporate funding translates into corporate influence and corporate control over research priorities and objectives.
Monthly Archives: November 2013
Report examines Quebec aerospace consortium
Misremembering warfare
Demilitarize McGill intervened in the Remembrance Day ceremony on McGill’s downtown campus Monday morning, dropping a banner from the roof in between the Leacock and Arts buildings to signal mounting opposition to military research on campus. The banner, which read simply “Demilitarize McGill,” appeared at 11:00am, coinciding with the moment of silence and 21-gun salute in the middle of the ceremony.
In the McGill Daily, we wrote that Remembrance Day “is a rehearsal of selective feeling as much as selective memory,” that “both responds to the demands of nationalism and develops a justification for the continued imperialist exercise of military power.”
As cannon blasts shook windows across campus, security were slow to react upon seeing the banner, which remained in place for over fifteen minutes before being removed.
