Update on the 2024 CPA Conference – Friday 31 May

The CPA Executive and Program Chair are grateful for all the support we have received, and for your patience, as we negotiate this challenging situation, RE: Congress/McGill campus. Please understand that these unforeseen complications have completely strained our resources. The CPA’s sole employee, whose job description is for 20 hours per week, has put in multiple 16-hour days, over these tumultuous past two weeks. For others, navigating this transition has unexpectedly become a temporary full-time job.  

Many different CFHSS member organizations are reacting to these challenges differently, largely due to their respective size and available resources. Congress 2024 is disunified. 

The majority of the CPA program will be virtual, via the Congress Virtual platform. A limited selection of plenary events will take place in-person (and streamed over Zoom) on the Université de Montréal campus. More information will be shared with presenters and participants about this shortly.

[1] the Program: the CPA conference program can be found here: https://www.acpcpa.ca/cpages/current. Details on how to access the virtual conference are made available with registration: https://www.federationhss.ca/en/congress/register. Details about which events the CPA will hold in person in Montreal can be found on the CPA Congress webpage here: https://www.acpcpa.ca/cpages/current.

In addition, the CPA is arranging daily informal gatherings in Montreal, to provide valuable opportunity for congregation and interaction. Details are not yet set, and will be announced in due course.  

Nb: this is a dynamic situation, and not all details are yet settled. So, for example, some of the information linked below is likely to still change, over the coming weeks. Participants are advised to check back regularly. 

[2] McGill campus picket passes: AMPL has announced plans to picket all Congress events on McGill Campus. While the CPA is holding no in-person events on McGill Campus, we recognize that some of our members may still need to venture onto campus. We are working with AMPL to get ‘picket passes’ for CPA members. More information on this will be announced shortly. 

[3] Refunds/Re-imbursements: One of the major complications with this whole mess is how to support CPA members who have already spent money on the upcoming conference, and are justifiably worried about refunds or reimbursements. Obviously this issue is effecting different members of our community in different ways, and the situation is evolving over time.

For example, we have recently learned that at least one major Canadian university has made an ad hoc policy deviation for Congress 2024, to allow reimbursement for funds spent, even if the participant ends up not travelling after all, but participates in the conference online. Another CPA member has told us that their local Faculty Association is offering to reimburse this sort of expense, as a show of solidarity with AMPL.

On the issue of reimbursements for CPA members who still go to Montreal, there are at least two options. One is that the CPA can provide certification of in-person attendance, at the U de M events. Another is that, with a picket pass, CPA members can still register in person on McGill campus. We assume that either of those avenues should suffice to satisfy the home institution’s requirements for proof of research travel.

After all that, the CPA has limited resources to provide refunds to anyone who is still incurring non-refundable, non-reimbursable expenses. Students and non-tenure-track scholars will be given the highest priority. One CPA member has made the kind suggestion that we collect donations for this purpose; please see: https://www.acpcpa.ca/campaigns for more information and to donate.

To apply for a refund from the CPA, please complete this online Refund Request form: https://forms.gle/VheSJFmJcBmha2ZT8. The deadline for applying to this fund is: Friday June 14. 

Sincerely,

Arthur Sullivan

2023-24 President, Canadian Philosophical Association

Dear CPA members and prospective conference participants,

It is with profound regret that we are announcing that most of the CPA 2024 conference, scheduled for McGill campus June 18-21, is pivoting to online, onto the Congress online platform. This is devastating to the CPA, which has had only one in-person conference since 2019. However, we have spent the past two weeks discussing, consulting, brainstorming, and modelling various options for how to deal with the challenging situation on McGill campus, and we have come to the unanimous conclusion that this is our only viable option, all things considered.

The biggest obstacle is the strike by AMPL (the Association of McGill Law Professors). With the support of CAUT and other organizations, AMPL is planning to picket all Congress events, and has asked all member organizations to boycott McGill campus in solidarity (https://www.caut.ca/latest/2024/04/mcgill-law-professors-vote-favour-indefinite-strike). It is hard to give firm statistics right now, as this is still evolving, but we can confidently report that many small organizations are moving their conferences to another location, and many larger organizations are moving online. In our case, a clear majority of the over 120 respondents to our May 13 CPA poll said that they would not cross a CAUT-backed picket line to attend the conference.

The default option for all sessions is that the schedule remains in place, but they are moved from in-person to online, via the Congress online platform. We are still planning to hold a limited number of sessions in-person (in Montreal, but not on McGill campus), with an online option (so: hybrid). These include the three Invited Plenary sessions, the CJP Distinguished Lecture, and the CPA Presidential Address. Specific details as to the location of these events will be forthcoming in due course – we are reaching out to the other Montreal Philosophy departments for help with space to congregate, and we plan to organize some informal social reception-type events. (The AGM will be pushed back one week and held online, on Wednesday June 27 at noon eastern.)

The Federation’s position is that no refunds of Congress fees are possible, at this stage, due to costs already incurred. Details about their policy can be found here: https://www.federationhss.ca/en/congress/register

We are asking any prospective attendees who have already spent money on travel plans, for which they are now in jeopardy of missing out on refunds or reimbursements, to identify themselves (to cpacongress2024@acpcpa.ca). We are determined not to leave you unsupported, but are at present not in a position to announce any firm plans or policies.

For those of you who are participating in our conference (presenters/chairs/commentators/panelists), further logistical information will be shared with you over the next few days. In the interim, if you have any immediate concerns that we should be aware of, please direct them to cpacongress2024@acpcpa.ca

Sincerely,

Arthur Sullivan

2023-24 President, Canadian Philosophical Association

Congress 2024 - Child and Dependent Care Subsidy 

The Federation is pleased to offer an award program to help offset the cost of child and dependent care for participants in Congress 2024. The Congress Child and Dependent Care Subsidy program consists of a reimbursement of up to $200 for eligible expenses. This program stems from the Federation’s commitment to creating a more accessible, equitable, inclusive, and decolonized Congress experience for all attendees.

The CPA has been allocated a limited number of subsidies. Each subsidy consists of a reimbursement to the attendee for proven eligible expenses of up to $200 and will be disbursed in July 2024.

Priority to be given to graduate students, early career researchers, and Congress participants that meet the registration category criteria of underemployed or unemployed attendee.

Eligibility

Candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Participation in Congress 2024 as a presenter, chair, moderator, or respondent;
• Be members in good standing of the CPA;
• Be registered for Congress 2024; and
• Complete the following online application form by the application deadline.

Congress 2024 - Child and Dependent Care Subsidy Application Form

Application Deadline Extended - April 18, 2024

Congress 2024 Registration is Now Open - Early Bird Discount Expires - March 31, 2024 - REGISTER HERE

Complimentary Congress and CPA Conference registration for students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or other Person of Colour.

Please visit our 2024 CPA Annual Conference page for more information.

We look forward to seeing you in Montreal this June! 

CPA Student Travel Fund - 2024 Annual Congress

June 18 - 21, 2024

The CPA will reimburse eligible Congress-related travel expenses with its limited Student Travel Fund.
  

To be eligible for a reimbursement, the applicant must:

• be a student member of the CPA for 2024; 
• have paid the 2024 Congress registration fees; 
• be participating in the 2024 CPA Programme, presenting either a Full paper or Abstract;
• submit the online reimbursement application form by June 28, 2024. 

The final amount reimbursed depends on the number of claims received. As available funds are limited, students are encouraged to first obtain funding from their own institution or other sources. Reimbursements from other sources must be subtracted from the amount of travel expenses being claimed from the CPA Student Travel Fund. Students belonging to more than one association cannot request the same travel expense reimbursement from multiple associations/sources.

Only accommodation and transportation expenses are reimbursable: hotel, airline flights, train and bus fares, shuttles / taxis to and from airports, train / bus stations, car mileage allowance from home to Montreal and return.

Original documents and/or copies of receipts must be presented to the CPA before the reimbursement request will be approved. This includes airline boarding passes, train and bus tickets, receipts for car rentals, etc. Scanned forms and documents and e-receipts will also be accepted.

Steps for Submitting Your Travel Expenses Claim Request:

1) Complete and submit the online CPA Student Travel Fund Reimbursement Request Form;
2) Submit your original and/or scanned documents and receipts to the CPA by June 28, 2024.

Submitting Documents and Receipts:

1) Email documents to administration@acpcpa.ca;

2) Mail documents to the CPA national office:
The Canadian Philosophical Association
PO Box 68 STN P
Toronto ON M5S 2S6
Canada

Call for Papers 

Annual Meeting of The Canadian Philosophical Association 

2024 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences

McGill University, Montreal

June 12 - 21, 2024

*CPA Meeting Dates June 18 - 21, 2024*

Call for papers now closed

The Canadian Philosophical Association invites submissions of papers, abstracts, and symposium proposals for its 2024 annual meeting. This meeting is part of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences taking place June 12 - 21 at McGill University in Montreal, QC.  The CPA annual meeting, held June 18 - 21, will feature concurrent colloquia and symposia, and a plenary keynote given by a distinguished philosopher and sponsored by the Canadian Journal of Philosophy. And, for the second year in a row, there will be a series of special sessions, each of which will pair two prominent philosophers on a topic of shared interest. Each session will approach the topic from a historical and a contemporary perspective as follows:

- Feminist Philosophy: Lisa Shapiro (McGill) & Lynne Tirrell (U Connecticut).

- Moral Psychology: Sarah Stroud (UNC Chapel Hill) and Jennifer Whiting (Pittsburgh).

- Philosophy of Language/Mind: Claude Panaccio (UQAM) & Francois Recanati (Institut Jean Nicod).

The program committee anonymously referees abstracts as well as full papers and will consider proposals for symposia. Submissions in all areas of philosophy are welcome. The CPA is committed to organizing an accessible and inclusive meeting. 

In an effort to finalize the schedule in a timely manner, the deadlines for the 2024 meeting are earlier than in previous years: The deadline for symposium proposals is October 16, 2023 at 11:59pm ET. The deadline for abstract and paper submissions is midnight, November 1, 2023 at 11:59pm ET. 

Please note that the rules for symposia and abstract submissions have changed:

- Symposia submissions must be 500-750 words, and must include (i) a description of the topic of the symposium and its importance (recommended: a brief 100-200 word description for each presentation); and (ii) a list of participants who have confirmed attendance.  

- Abstract submissions must be 500-750 words. They should give a clear idea of the central theses defended, and, more importantly of the arguments to defend them. (Rules for full-paper submissions will be the same as in previous years).

All submissions will be managed through EasyChair. Upon submission, you will be prompted to choose two areas of philosophy. Please choose the areas that best fit your submission. Even imperfect matches will help the Program Committee find appropriate referees for your submission.  For further, detailed instructions, please visit https://www.acpcpa.ca/cpages/submit. Submissions must be made by an active member of the CPA. New member enrollment and membership renewals for 2024 will be accepted starting October 2, 2023. Please visit www.acpcpa.ca/join for more information.

A number of prizes are awarded by the Association for essays submitted for the Annual Meeting: two faculty essay prizes (one tenured, one non-tenured) and up to three student essay prizes (one student prize is reserved for each official language). In each year’s December issue of Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review, prize winners from that year's Annual Meeting will be announced and a short list of exceptional papers that have been vetted by journal reviewers will be published. Prize winners are encouraged to submit their publication-ready papers to Dialogue early. 

Finally, we extend a Call for volunteers to referee papers, or to chair, and/or comment at the meeting. If you are interested in volunteering for these roles, please click here.

Participants can show up in the program only in one primary role, either as a speaker in a symposium, or as an author of a paper (either full or based on abstract). However, participants can and are encouraged to also comment and chair other sessions.

For more information about the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, please visit https://www.federationhss.ca/en/congress2024. 

Any inquiries should be directed at the Program Chair, Juan S. Piñeros Glasscock, at  cpameeting24@gmail.com.