'Fundamentally undemocratic': Alberta medical, political and legal experts criticize UCP government tactics

CALGARY -

Some educators and experts in Alberta say they're tired of the provincial government trying to discredit and even muzzle them in their fields of expertise. 

Multiple professors, academic experts and even one faculty head tell CTV News the province has gone too far in its attack on their work, and even their personalities, after they criticize UCP policy. 

Legal expert Lorian Hardcastle says the province's issues managers and press secretaries -- many making six figure salaries -- have been going too far in what she calls, "their gaslighting tactics."

"I've personally had my photo posted, my employer tagged and my dean tagged (in a staffer tweet)," Hardcastle said. "There's also a discrediting of your expertise. I was called an expert in quotation marks just this week."

Hardcastle and some of her University of Calgary colleagues say attempts from issues managers to spark anger and confusion on social media is a dangerous ploy. 

"There's a few tactics they employ, the downplaying of your expertise, the accusations that you are lying or that you are a surrogate for the NDP," she said. "What they are trying to do is silence critiques and that's fundamentally undemocratic."

Staffers often use disparaging words to question medical experts and political scientists who they disagree with.

Those who have studied or worked years in their field say they're sick of being undercut or brushed aside just because they're expressing critical views. 

Six different professors from two Alberta post-secondary institutions told CTV News they feel they are targets. 

"At the root, it has to do with this polarizing technique to say, 'you shouldn't trust anyone who isn't on our team,'" said Melanee Thomas, a political scientist at U of C.

"I think our province deserves better than that hostile and really blunt approach to politics."

One economist even believes the behaviour stretches offline. 

Lindsay Tedds claims she was called into a University of Calgary office earlier this year to discuss some of her more critical online behaviour. The meeting invite arrived after a lengthy exchange with government employees online. 

Tedds calls the timing suspicious. 

She also says she knows of others who have experienced similar events. 

"Just about anybody who has had these experiences can't say for sure where the call has come from, but it is very clear who is being targeted," Tedds said. 

Both the province and the school denied that claim. 

A University of Calgary spokesperson issued the following statement regarding the allegations.

To our knowledge, these claims have not been brought to our attention and we are not aware of any instances where the University of Calgary has been asked or directed to mute or manage criticism by faculty members of the provincial government. Academic freedom and freedom of expression are central tenets of research universities. As explained in our Statement on Free Expression:

All members of the university have the right of free expression, which means the freedom to investigate, comment, listen, gather, challenge and critique subject to the law and, on our campuses, to university policies and procedures related to the functioning of the university.”

We would encourage members of our campus community to discuss such concerns with their deans or senior leaders.

When asked about the online behaviour of staff members, one of Jason Kenney's press secretaries sent a statement saying, "issues managers and press secretaries providing information and correcting misinformation online is common practice across governments in Canada."

Thomas completely disagrees. 

"Most issues managers, you don't know their name," she said. "They manage the issue, and they are not the issue themselves. This happens nowhere else."

Thomas said she believes the UCP is partially misleading and creating anger on purpose. 

"We know that this type of politics actively demobilizes people who don't like it. I think it's fair to ask whether or not that demobilization is the goal," she said.