September 2010
Conservative author and pundit Ann Coulter is certainly used to controversy, but
even she must be shaking her head at the antics of University of Ottawa
President and former Liberal Cabinet Minister Allan Rock.
Canadian Press has obtained excerpts from an email exchange between Mr. Rock and
Francois Houle, the university’s provost. They make clear that Mr. Rock was the
guiding force behind Mr Houle’s now-infamous letter to Ms. Coulter warning her
not to run afoul of Canada’s hate laws when she was invited to speak at the
campus last March.
“Ann Coulter is a mean-spirited, small-minded, foul-mouthed poltroon,” Rock
wrote to Houle in a March 18 email. “She is ‘the loud mouth that bespeaks the
vacant mind’.”
“She is an ill-informed and deeply offensive shill for a profoundly shallow and
ignorant view of the world. She is a malignancy on the body politic. She is a
disgrace to the broadcasting industry and a leading example of the dramatic
decline in the quality of public discourse in recent times.”
At
the same time, he argued, “we should not take any steps to interfere with her
plans to speak next week on our campus.”
Instead, Rock advised Houle he should write to Coulter informing her of the
different rules surrounding free speech in Canada compared with those in the
United States.
“You, Francois, as Provost, should write immediately to Coulter informing her of
our domestic laws. … You should urge her to respect that Canadian tradition as
she enjoys the privilege of her visit.”
After seeing a copy of the final email to Coulter, Rock praised Houle: “Quel
excellent message! Merci et felicitations. I am sure she has never been dressed
down so elegantly in her life!”
Most disturbing is not Mr. Rock’s point of view – he is entitled to his opinion,
however small-minded and mean-spirited it may be.It is his attempt to curb
Ms. Coulter’s “foul mouth” by means of Mr. Houle’s missive that raises serious
questions about his capacity as president of a university.
Universities are not political parties, where messages are massaged, controlled
and spin-doctored. They are (supposedly) places of free inquiry where dissent is
not only tolerated, but welcomed and encouraged.
Mr.
Rock’s view of “Canadian tradition” raises the question of what kind of
tradition he wishes to impart to the students of Ottawa U:the Liberal line of
state multiculturalism, political correctness and anti-Americanism? Mr.
Rock’sdisdain for Ms. Coulter, and his attempt to muzzle her, however
“elegant”, speaks volumes about the attitudes of Canadian elites towards those
who disagree with them.It is the same attitude displayed by critics ofthe new
SUN TV who fear that the purity of Canadian debate and thought will be polluted
by actual controversy and debate.
Worse yet is that Mr. Rockfudged when initially questioned about the letter.
He stated that “it was sent with my knowledge” – when the truth is it was sent
at his instigation. When it blew up into a controversy, he let Mr. Houle take
the brunt of the heat. Talk about the boss hiding behind his staff.
And
while there was some faint hope of redemption, asMr. Rockapparently wanted to
invite Ms. Coulter back after her speech got cancelled due to a protest (if Bill
Blair had been in charge of security there, maybe she would have got to the
stage…), that evaporated
too, whenhe was talked out of it by advisors.
Oh
well. I’m sure Ms. Coulter is not losing any sleep over the incident. To
paraphrase her comments when she was here, “take a moose, Allan Rock.”
National Post, June 30, 2010.
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