President Barnard’s message on Quebec shooting and U.S. travel restrictions

A message from President and Vice-Chancellor David T. Barnard:

Students and colleagues,

My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims of Sunday’s shooting at a mosque in Quebec City. I am horrified by this act of violence, targeted at members of our community who deserve to feel safe in this country.

I am also concerned about last week’s U.S. executive order to restrict access to those from seven predominantly Muslim countries. This decision directly affects our researchers, research partnerships and students who hail from countries named in the ban. In fact, some of our students had planned to present their doctoral work to colleagues in the United States this week, but were turned away by officials.

This is a great injustice to our students, our researchers and to those who practice the Muslim faith in Canada. The U of M stands with Universities Canada and the American Association of Universities in their call to end the ban as quickly as possible.

I’m deeply saddened by the events of this weekend. Our University of Manitoba community stands together to provide support and safety.

We will continue this conversation.