Feds' $311M research program cuts funding for universities that fail to meet DEI requirements

CALGARY — In light of the job posting for professor positions at Memorial University (MU) in St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador going viral online for their job equity requirements — the Western Standard has spotted some other notable examples of positions with equity requirements for readers.All positions that are listed are research chair roles, professors conducting research, provided research grants by the feds' Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP).The CRCP spends $311 million annually and allocates it to research projects as they see fit.CRCP claims universities must meet their "equity, diversity and inclusion action plan" which if universities fail to reach — they will not receive funding for their research..Newfoundland and Labrador university hiring only 'equity group' professors .This plan was created in late 2018, and its current targets span from 2021 to 2029, with four equity "designated groups" being given hiring priority. They claim to base the targets on the following demographics which occupy a specific percentage of the population "racialized individuals 22%, indigenous peoples 4.9%, persons with disabilities 7.5%, and women and gender equity-seeking groups 50.9%."They claim to "actively monitor institutions' progress toward meeting their established targets."There are several equity deadlines universities have to acheive, including ones at the end of the year in 2022, 2025, 2027, and 2029, where they must submit their targets by these deadlines..Those who do not meet the 2029 deadline will see a reduction in the federal money they receive. The CRCP outlines, for every research chair that does not meet an equity target, they will lose their funding for one chair.Universities are also instructed to address equity targets if most of their chairs were appointed prior to the creation of these targets.Most notably, if a chair's contract is up, they are recommended to "not renew" the position so they can meet their equity targets instead..With the feds' mandates in mind, the following is a list of 2026 job postings that state outright an equity group is required to fill the positions.1. University of British Columbia (UBC): Indigenous & Interdisciplinary Performance Practices for Art Music ResearcherHidden near the end of the job description posted back in March, UBC claims candidates must self-identify as one or more of the following equity "federally designated groups" to be "considered for the position."The job is limited to the following people: "Indigenous Peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, and women and gender equity seeking groups."In the same breath, UBC claims to "hire on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity.".2. University of Sherbrooke (UofS): Indigenous researcher for either the Faculty of Law, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, or Medicine and Health SciencesUofS, located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, is looking for an indigenous researcher only, for research that is non-specified in five different faculties, posted in late April.As part of the university's 2021 to 2026 action plan, they state their goal is "develop[ing] training and research with indigenous people" based on their "needs.".3. University of Sherbrooke (UofS): Professor/Researcher for the Faculty of Engineering, Science, and Medicine and Health SciencesAnother from UofS, this position posted in April, hopes to find a disabled candidate to fill this professor role.They state clearly, "only applications from persons with disabilities will be considered for this Chair.".4. University of Ottawa (uOttawa): Strategic Areas ResearcherIn this application dated in January, the selection was limited to "Indigenous scholars — First Nations, Inuit and Métis as defined in the CRC Program method for establishing equity targets and the Employment Equity Act."The position is a seven-year contract with an annual salary of $200,000. The "strategic areas of research" are uOttawa's research focuses, which include but are not limited to environmental, law, arts, technology, and health research.They claim this position is meant to prioritize their "Indigenous Action Plan (2025-2030)," increasing the number of their indigenous staff because they have an "insufficient amount of Indigenous staff members."

Feds' $311M research program cuts funding for universities that fail to meet DEI requirements

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