Universities have embarrassed themselves during Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This is true across 80 years of murder, oppression and occupation, but particularly true over the last 2 years. But some universities have been worse than others. And in Canada, these five have been among the worst. But before we get to the specifics.

The abdication of moral responsibility by Canadian universities has been complete and without exception. University senior administrators have simply accepted that government and corporate purse strings have them on a choke leash. There is no moral principle that they are unwilling to abandon in return for funding. Their support for the Israeli genocide was bought and paid for. And university professors have been as complicit as their administrators. The number of professors who have stood with students at encampments across Canada could fit comfortably in a mini-van. Sure – dozens more have attached their names to electronic petitions or sternly-worded letters; but physically occupied their university grounds? Almost none. We would guess that if we were to round to the nearest 10 the number would be zero.

Why professors should be most ashamed for their abdication and silence in the face of a real-time genocide, is that resistance of tenured professors comes with no risk – the worst that professors would face if they truly confronted their university leadership is the frowns of their colleagues and administrators. But Canadian professors have been co-opted. And eagerly so. Most professors at Canadian universities belong to faculty associations and unions. They wield tremendous power. Professors have the capacity to shutdown their institutions. And they are willing to use that power and have used that power often over the past decade. But why? Why do professors choose to go on strike? There is only one reason – to make more money.

Dalhousie professors walked off the job in the late summer of this year. University of Lethbridge faculty went on strike in 2022, York University in 2024 and me and my colleagues at the University of New Brunswick in 2013…why? Show me the money. But the faces of university complicity are our university Presidents and Chancellors.

Let’s meet and shame them.