DOCTOR OF CONTROVERSY
David Suzuki receives an honorary degree from the University of Alberta on Thursday during spring convocation ceremonies at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
The presentation of an honorary science degree to environmentalist and broadcaster David Suzuki at the University of Alberta on Thursday was predictably not without its opponents.
A small group of protesters — some who bused to Edmonton from Calgary — stood on a grassy area outside the Jubilee Auditorium to air their displeasure at the decision to honour a man who has rankled many with his opposition to the oil and gas industry.
“There is so much that this industry does, not just to the province but the whole damn country,” said protester Cecil Chabot.
The St. Albert resident, who was one of about two dozen mainly male protesters, said he had already written off Suzuki as a “cuckoo environmental terrorist.” Chabot said his presence at the convocation ceremony was to demonstrate his displeasure with the university.
“David Suzuki has basically made war with Alberta. The man is going to get an honour from Alberta that he doesn’t deserve,” he said.
“I’m a strong believer in the oilpatch. The oilpatch has paid for my pension, it’s paid for my children, it’s paid for my future grandchildren and it is not the bugbear that everyone is painting it.”
Across the parking lot, counterprotesters showed their support for Suzuki’s role as an educator and broadcaster through his beloved CBC television show, The Nature of Things.
“We really believe strongly in the importance of academic freedom and freedom of scientists who explore all options whether or not they suit donor priorities,” said Marilyn Gaa of the group Edmonton Raging Grannies.
Speaking to a packed auditorium after accepting his degree from university chancellor Douglas Stollery, Suzuki challenged the science graduates to continue to ask questions and push the barriers of understanding.
“This is urgent because scientists know and recognize that human beings have suddenly become a tectonic force on the planet,” he said.
“There has never been a species with such power before and we have no experience to guide us, so we have to find ways of living that do not undermine the very things that keep us alive.
“So here is the dilemma. We have created concepts and structures of government and business that we then try and force nature to conform to rather than shaping our creation to fit the needs of nature on which we are utterly dependent.
“We have become the dominant animal on the planet and we have to find a way to live in balance with the elements that keep us alive and healthy.”
Suzuki was one of 13 recipients of the U of A’s highest honour at the 2018 convocation, who also included refugee, immigration and human rights lawyer David Matas, former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and award-winning CBC foreign correspondent Nahlah Ayed.