Peter MacKinnon

Peter MacKinnon writes opinion columns on universities and education for Yahoo News Canada. His coverage centres on how governance, free expression and ideology shape the mission and sustainability of higher education institutions. He brings the perspective of a former university president and law professor, now working as a senior fellow with policy institutes focused on public policy and ideas. Across his work, he treats universities as civic institutions under strain from censorship, politicized administration and shifting public expectations.

Free speech and censorship on campus

MacKinnon returns frequently to the question of whether universities still protect open inquiry and robust debate.

He writes about censorship as “out of control” on campus, arguing that constraints on speech undermine the core academic mission. He examines evidence of students self-censoring, presenting this as a symptom of a wider culture of intolerance for disagreement within higher education. His pieces frame free expression not as an abstract right but as a practical condition for teaching, research and institutional legitimacy.

He uses examples from current controversies to show how administrative decisions, codes of conduct and informal pressures combine to narrow what can be said in classrooms and public forums.

Universities, ideology and liberalism

A recurring thread in his work is the impact of entrenched ideology on universities and on broader liberal society. He writes about liberalism “dying a slow death,” urging resistance to illiberal currents he sees both on campus and beyond.

His commentary draws on his book “Confronting Illiberalism,” using themes from that work to argue that universities should remain committed to open, pluralistic inquiry rather than partisan activism. He highlights institutions such as Harvard to contrast different approaches, praising efforts to set ideology aside in order to tackle “genuinely hard problems.” Across these pieces, he treats universities as barometers of the health of liberal democracy, arguing that when they abandon intellectual diversity they weaken both scholarship and public trust.

He also engages with prominent figures such as Steven Pinker, thanking them for challenging diversity, equity and inclusion regimes that he views as corrosive to merit and liberal norms.

Governance, funding and institutional sustainability

MacKinnon writes extensively about how universities are governed and financed, and how those choices affect their capacity to survive and serve the public. He examines specific institutions, including the University of Saskatchewan, to show how governance and ideological commitments interact.

He draws on experience as president of three universities and as a member of an expert panel on post-secondary funding and competitiveness in Alberta, using that vantage point to discuss sustainable models for higher education.

In his analysis of an Alberta panel on university funding, he outlines a path toward more sustainable institutions, stressing transparent priorities and a focus on core academic strengths. He is also cited in coverage of policy changes such as Ontario’s Bill 33, commenting on the appeal of charter schools and the implications of such reforms for the broader education system. Separate institutional announcements have noted his appointment as interim director of a school of public policy, underscoring his continued engagement with governance and public-policy training.

Meritocracy, research and the culture of expertise

Beyond formal governance, MacKinnon focuses on how universities treat merit, expertise and research careers.

He writes about an AI researcher whom some argue should be “disabled,” using the case to call for a return to meritocracy in hiring, promotion and recognition in academia. In his view, universities erode trust when they subordinate evidence and accomplishment to ideological tests.

He connects this concern to broader debates over diversity and equity policies, arguing that they can crowd out excellence and discourage risk-taking in research.

His discussion of Harvard’s approach to hard problems reinforces this theme, suggesting that institution-level choices about how to value expertise and merit directly shape innovation and societal impact. Across these columns, he treats the culture of expertise as a core issue for universities, linking personnel decisions and research agendas to the long-term credibility of higher education.

Taken together, MacKinnon’s work positions him as a commentator on universities as institutions under political, financial and cultural pressure. He writes in a direct, diagnostic style, treating current controversies as evidence about how well higher education is meeting its obligations to free inquiry, liberal values and public service. His pieces are grounded in his leadership experience and policy roles, and they consistently test university decisions against standards of sustainability, meritocracy and the principles of a liberal society.