How and Why the Chicago Principles Came to Canada: Free Expression on Campus and the Closing of the “Campus Crisis Feedback Loop”

Abstract

ABSTRACT Like the United States, Canada has experienced heightened concerns related to free expression on university campuses. In response, two Conservative provincial governments issued directives (in Ontario in 2018 and in Alberta in 2019) based on the Chicago Principles, compelling higher-education institutions to create explicit policy statements. Using a comparative and historical approach, I present an analytical framework for understanding the emergence of the directives. I argue that the successful California gubernatorial campaigning of Ronald Reagan created a “campus crisis feedback loop” that includes the mutually reinforcing phenomena of campus unrest, sensationalistic news coverage, overwhelmingly negative public opinion, and partisan opportunities to channel negative public opinion. The feedback loop subsequently became a pillar of conservative discourse and politics. The analysis demonstrates that while both countries experienced campus unrest, Canada has not traditionally responded with government intervention. Thus, the importation of the Chicago Principles led to a final closing of the feedback loop in Canada.