Afternoon front page: A DEI blowup at Cambridge University; case of teacher fired over residential school comments heads to court; and more
- Jason Arday, a Cambridge University professor born with autism, is accused of plagiarizing significant parts of his PhD thesis, while accusations of racism have been directed at those who raised concerns.
- High school teacher Jim McMurtry was suspended and eventually fired after discussing the discovery of 215 children's remains at Kamloops Indian Residential School with his students in an open and respectful manner.
- The delayed Amber Alert response in a boy's disappearance revealed serious gaps in Canada's system for protecting vulnerable children, prompting political attention and calls for reform.
- Canada faces a growing antisemitism threat linked to terror plots and foreign-funded violence, highlighting the need for a strong national security response, while France recently recorded its first pyrocumulonimbus cloud, a dangerous fire-generated thunderstorm common in Canada.
It’s Friday, July 31. Here are the top stories we’re following today.
Star Cambridge University prof Jason Arday has a compelling story: born with autism, he says he was non-verbal until 11 years old, yet achieved a doctorate by 30. But now he has been credibly accused of plagiarizing large parts of his PhD thesis and accusations of racism are being thrown at his accusers. “Perhaps there’s at least an implicit message here that we value identity over aptitude at least a wee bit too much,” Selley suggests.
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Four days after an announcement “confirmed” that the remains of 215 children were found at Kamloops Indian Residential School, high school teacher Jim McMurtry spoke to his students about it in a “respectful, free and frank manner.” “For such heresy, McMurtry was marched out of class later that morning. The next day, he was suspended. In 2023, he was fired,” Higgins writes.
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Because the boy’s disappearance was not a suspected abduction, an Amber Alert only went out when authorities issued a special exemption two days later. “Parker’s death has … exposed a serious gap in how Canada responds when vulnerable children go missing,” wrote Poilievre in a letter to the federal emergency management minister.
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The growing antisemitism problem in Canada and other western nations is a national security threat, amid terror plots and evidence of a foreign-funded “guns-for-hire” scheme. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ CEO talks about the severity of this threat, and what kind of response is needed.
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Pyrocumulonimbus clouds are fire-generated thunderstorms that form when a wildfire burns hot enough to punch a column of air into an unstable atmosphere. France recorded its first one ever this week but they are common is Canada, and what happens underneath these clouds makes them dangerous.
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