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A backlash is growing against the appointment of former Conservative Party MP James Moore as chancellor of a B.C. university.

An online petition calling on the University of Northern B.C.’s board of governors to nix the appointment — announced by the university last week — has garnered more than 850 signatures with some faculty, alumni and students taking to social media to voice their dissent.

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Stephen Rader, president of UNBC’s faculty association, said Moore’s previous high-profile, high-ranking role in the Conservative Party and his “fairly anti-academic and anti-progressive slant” makes him an odd choice to be the public face of the university.

“He is not known for representing the values of UNBC,” said Rader on Monday. “We are Canada’s ‘green university.’ You would want someone with really strong environmental credentials. We have a strong focus on First Nations. You want someone who has demonstrated leadership in that role.”