It is very troubling. Obviously, universities have a mandate to create and disseminate knowledge. They don't have a mandate to protect our nation's national security, and they are internationalized. Academic freedom does make it challenging for us to tell universities that they can't do this or that. Then there's the troubling reality that scientists of Chinese origin who have come to Canada naturally have extensive networks within China. Are they going to be unable to get research funding because of these suspicions?
I really don't know how we can square this circle, unless we start to look much more carefully at the relationship between universities and the state. We are perceived, I think, by our Five Eyes partners as being a weak link in the protection of dual-use technologies and sensitive research. The Winnipeg lab fiasco has not helped the confidence of our partners in terms of sharing information with us.
I am troubled by this, and I do agree with you. I looked it over and I don't understand what those words mean either.