Ian Holloway, dean of law at the University of Calgary, told sessional instructors in an email that they could give their income back in return for a charitable donation tax receipt.

The instructors, who are mostly full-time lawyers, are usually paid a flat rate of $6,000 CAD (around €4,100) for teaching in an area of their expertise.

Mr Holloway told CBC: “I know for some of them, they aren’t doing it for the money. Very few are doing it for the money.

“They do it because they like the idea of giving back, they like the idea of engaging students.”

He added: “I just wanted to let them know we’ll have to tighten the belt when it comes to part-time teachers, too.”