The US’s anti-DEI crusade comes to Canada
It’s often said that Canadian nationalism is defined in opposition to the United States. It’s ironic that Trump’s belligerent approach has prompted Canadians to consider their own ideals — those of inclusiveness, multiculturalism, and openness according to Prime Minister Mark Carney in his election speech last April. It’s doubly ironic, then, for Canada’s politicians to adopt one of the Trump administration’s most insidious approaches to target academic freedom.
Last week, Canada’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research convened a session on federal funding. Members of Parliament from the Conservative and Parti Québécois parties accused Canada’s three federal funding agencies of being “too woke”, prioritizing “ideological considerations” over “academic freedom”. They quoted Canadian academics Gad Saad, who referred to DEI as “parasitic nonsense”, and Steven Pinker, who argued that “researchers do not feel welcome here.” Leaders from all three federal funding agencies countered that “diversity brings all viewpoints to the table, which is useful for the advancement of science.”
The committee adopted a motion to force all three federal funding agencies disclose disaggregated demographic data, including responses to DEI questionnaires, from every submitted grant in the past five years, successful or not; this was later expanded to encompass 25 years’ worth of data. Aside from the obvious privacy and confidentiality issues, it’s unclear what these MPs hope to do with this data given that all of this data is already available in aggregated form. It also threatens the sanctity of the grant review process: reviews are anonymous precisely to protect honest, rigorous feedback. It’s no surprise that Canadian academics have pushed back, with over 5,000 to date signing an open letter demanding protection of their data. In response, the committee rescinded their motion.
It’s a success story for Canadian academics, but it’s a stark warning that Canadian politicians are not immune to the same anti-DEI rhetoric as their neighbours. Parti Québécois MP Maxime Blanchette-Joncas asked whether DEI amounts to “guiding scientific research based on ideological considerations at the expense of academic freedom”; Conservative MP Vincent Ho asked whether “more representation of right-leaning views…would make the research better.” In its attacks on higher education, the Trump administration has advocated for “a broad spectrum of ideological viewpoints…given the importance of academic freedom.” In a time where Canada’s politicians are hard at work trying to approve a budget, one that invests heavily in federal research funding in order to lure US researchers north, it’s worth considering the effect the US’s anti-DEI crusade has had on academic excellence and freedom.
Since January, the Trump administration has frozen over 5,000 NIH grants comprising up to $5 billion; many of these have been cancelled specifically for their study of DEI-related topics including LGBTQ+ health and gender identity. Universities have had their funding frozen on allegations of antisemitism, transgender athletes, and race-based admissions; the administration tried to issue a total ban on federal funding to any university with DEI programs though this was later rescinded. This anti-DEI crusade culminated in a “compact”, offering preferential access to federal funding in exchange for ideological compliance. In exchange for funding, universities would have to agree to end race- and sex-based admissions, cap international student rates, and promote conservative viewpoints. Nearly every university has declined. Let’s hope that Canadian politicians view this as a cautionary tale.
