Education
40 Canadian professors urge Trudeau government to abolish DEI mandates
From LifeSiteNews
“Many agree with us – including senior, tenured faculty – but will not speak publicly for fear of repercussions”
Dozens of Canadian professors have joined together to call for an end to the pro-LGBT diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates in universities.
In a May 24 letter to Parliament, 40 Canadian university professors appealed to Prime Minster Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government to abandon DEI initiatives in universities, arguing they are both ineffective and harmful to Canadians.
“While some may view this as a weakness, we hope most will see it simply as an act of conscience from academics no longer able to remain silent,” the professors began.
“These policies disproportionately punish small institutions, are not supported by evidence, employ flawed metrics with no end goal, and are unpopular with the public who funds the research,” the letter explained.
“Many agree with us – including senior, tenured faculty – but will not speak publicly for fear of repercussions,” the letter revealed. “Specifically, they are scared even to question Tri-Council policies relating to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).”
Currently, DEI quotas are mandated across Canada through the Canada Research Chairs program. Under the program, universities must meet specific hiring requirements, skewed in favor of racial minorities and those who identify as “LGBT.”
The letter cited various studies which revealed that the DEI mandates not only harm universities but lead to more discrimination.
The professors referenced a case at Laurier University in Ontario where the institution sought to hire six black and six indigenous faculty.
“During the process, an informal outside inquiry made on behalf of a promising black candidate had to be rebuffed because black people were ineligible,” the letter explained. “This open racial discrimination in the name of fighting systemic racism is one concrete example of negative impacts of EDI.”
Similarly, a February research report from Wilfrid Laurier University social scientist David Millard Haskell, a signatory of the letter, found that there is “no evidence that EDI reduces bias or alters behavior.”
“In fact, DEI interventions have been shown to do harm by increasing prejudice and activating bigotry,” the letter declared.
The professor’s recommendation comes as Trudeau recently pledged $110 million of taxpayer money to hire DEI consultants tasked with looking into a supposed problem of “racism” in Canada.
Indeed, the Trudeau government has spent over $30 million on DEI-affiliated contracts among many federal ministries since January 2019.
This has led to an increase in woke ideology creeping into all parts of society. As LifeSiteNews reported recently, the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus posted an opening for a research chair position that essentially barred non-homosexual white men from applying for the job.
Signatories:
Geoff Horsman, PhD
Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University
David Haskell, PhD
Associate Professor of Digital Media & Journalism, and Religion & Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University
Zachary Patterson, PhD
Professor, Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering, Concordia University
Stephen Lupker, PhD
Professor of Psychology, Western University
Lawrence M. Krauss, PhD
President, The Origins Project Foundation
Foundation Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, retired
Kirsten Kramar, PhD
Mount Royal University
Stephen Quilley, PhD
Associate Professor of Social and Environmental Innovation, University of Waterloo
Scott Davies, PhD
Professor of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, University of Toronto
Edward Vrscay, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo
Martin Drapeau, PhD
Professor of Counselling Psychology and Psychiatry, McGill University
Frances Widdowson, PhD
Political Science professor
Brian F. Smith, PhD
Professor of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University
Christopher Dummitt, PhD
Professor of Canadian Studies, Trent University
Altay Coskun, PhD
Professor of Classical Studies, University of Waterloo
Ron Thomson, PhD
Professor and Chair of Applied Linguistics, Brock University
Chet Robie, PhD
Professor of Organizational Behaviour & Human Resource Management, Wilfrid Laurier University
Mark Collard, PhD
Canada Research Chair in Human Evolutionary Studies and Professor of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
Janice Fiamengo, PhD
Professor of English, University of Ottawa, retired
Philip Carl Salzman, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, McGill University
Laurence Klotz, CM, MD, FRCSC
Professor of Surgery, University of Toronto
Sunnybrook Chair of Prostate Cancer Research
Chair, Council for Academic Freedom at University of Toronto (CAFUT)
Member, Order of Canada
Division of Urology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Brad Fedy, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo
Scott Smith, PhD
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University
Henry Wolkowicz, PhD
Professor of Combinatorics and Optimization, University of Waterloo
Gail S. K. Wolkowicz, PhD
Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, McMaster University
François Charbonneau, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa
Rima Azar, PhD
Associate Professor of Health Psychology, Mount Allison University
Douglas W. Allen, PhD
Burnaby Mountain Professor, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University
Rachel Altman, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Simon Fraser University
Alexandra Lysova, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University
Richard Frank, PhD
Associate Professor, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University
John Craig, PhD
Professor, Department of History, Simon Fraser University
Dennis Sandgathe, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University
Mike Hart, PhD
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University
William McNally, PhD
Professor of Finance, Wilfrid Laurier University
Yannick Lacroix, PhD
Professor of Philosophy, Collège de Maisonneuve
Julie Guyot, PhD
Professor of History, Cégep Édouard-Montpetit
Leigh Revers, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Chemical & Physical Sciences, Institute of Management for Innovation, University of Toronto
Rob Whitley, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, McGill University
François Caron
Professor of Chemistry, Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston
Emeritus Professor, Laurentian University
Alberta
Parents in every province—not just Alberta—deserve as much school choice as possible
From the Fraser Institute
Not only does Alberta have a fully funded separate (Catholic) school system, it also provides between 60 and 70 per cent operational funding to accredited independent schools. In addition, Alberta is the only province in Canada to allow fully funded charter schools. And Alberta subsidizes homeschooling parents.
This week, the Smith government in Alberta will likely pass Bill 27, which requires schools to get signed permission from parents or guardians prior to any lessons on human sexuality, gender identity or sexual orientation.
It’s a sensible move. The government is proactively ensuring that students are in these classes because their parents want them there. Given the sensitive nature of these topics, for everyone’s sake it makes sense to ensure parental buy-in at the outset.
Unfortunately, many school trustees don’t agree. A recent resolution passed by the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) calls on the Smith government to maintain the status quo where parents are assumed to have opted in to these lessons unless they contact the school and opt their children out. Apparently, the ASBA thinks parents can’t be trusted to make the right decisions for their children on this issue.
This ASBA resolution is, in fact, a good example of the reflexive opposition by government school trustees to parental rights. They don’t want parents to take control of their children’s education, especially in sensitive areas. Fortunately, the Alberta government rebuffed ASBA’s demands and this attempt to abolish Bill 27 will likely fall on deaf ears.
However, there’s an even better safeguard available to Alberta parents—school choice. Out of all Canadian provinces, Alberta offers the most school choice. Not only does Alberta have a fully funded separate (Catholic) school system, it also provides between 60 and 70 per cent operational funding to accredited independent schools. In addition, Alberta is the only province in Canada to allow fully funded charter schools. And Alberta subsidizes homeschooling parents. Simply put, parents who are dissatisfied with the government school system have plenty of options—more than parents in any other province. This means Alberta parents can vote with their feet.
Things are quite different in other parts of the country. For example, Ontario and the four Atlantic provinces do not allow any provincial funding to follow students to independent schools. In other words, parents in these provinces who choose an independent school must pay the full cost themselves—while still paying taxes that fund government schools. And no province other than Alberta allows charter schools.
This is why it’s important to give parents as much school choice as possible. Given the tendency of government school boards to remove choices from parents, it’s important that all parents, including those with limited means, have other options available for their children.
Imagine if the owners of a large grocery store tried to impose their dietary preferences by removing all meat products and telling customers that the only way they could purchase meat is to make a special order. What would happen in that scenario? It depends on what other options are available. If this was the only grocery store in the community, customers would have no choice but to comply. However, if there were other stores, customers could simply shop elsewhere. Choice empowers people and limits the ability of one company to limit the choices of people who live in the community.
Think of government school boards as a monopolistic service provider like a grocery store. They often do everything possible to prevent parents from going anywhere else for their children’s education. Trusting them to do what’s best for parents and children is like assuming that the owners of a grocery store would always put the interests of their customers first and not their own self-interest. Monopolies are bad in the private sector and they’re bad in the education sector, too.
Clearly, it makes sense to require schools to get proactive consent from parents. This ensures maximum buy-in from parents for whatever courses their children take. It’s also important that Alberta remains a bastion of school choice. By making it easier for parents to choose from a variety of education options, Alberta puts power in the hands of parents, exactly where it belongs. Parents in other provinces should want that same power, too.
Alberta
Province investing in support for financial literacy in schools
Financial literacy prepares students for their futures
Students across Alberta will build the fundamental life skills they need to grow into adulthood through support for financial literacy programming.
Saving, budgeting, investing and the ability to make wise financial decisions are fundamental life skills Alberta’s youth need to develop as they grow into adulthood. Alberta’s government is ensuring that students have every opportunity to develop these fundamental life skills by integrating financial literacy into the K-12 curriculum and providing grant funding to three Canadian organizations to offer dedicated financial learning resources for students and teachers.
“We are proud to support financial literacy programming for students. Our on-going support for financial literacy education will help young Albertans navigate their futures with confidence by helping them build the fundamental life skills they need to prosper and secure their futures in today’s fast-moving world.”
In May 2022, Alberta’s government invested $5 million over three years into financial literacy programming to ensure students have the financial knowledge they need to thrive in life. Enriched Academy receives $900,000 per year and the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education receives $500,000 per year to provide students in grades 5 to 12 with financial literacy programming, aligned with the curriculum, to improve their financial knowledge. In addition, Junior Achievement receives $250,000 per year to provide hands-on, experiential financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship education to students in kindergarten to Grade 6.
“Our support for financial literacy programming will set Alberta’s youth up for success. This programming will ensure that Alberta’s youth develop the fundamental life skills they need to manage their personal finances, make sound financial decisions, and grow into adulthood with confidence.”
Free financial literacy webinar
Some of the funding provided will support Enriched Academy hosting a free live webinar for grades 4 to 12 students and teachers on Tuesday, November 26, as part of their financial literacy programming. The webinar will teach students how to build their credit with confidence and will feature an interactive gameshow format to engage and motivate students to learn how credit works and how to manage credit and their personal finances with confidence. Students and teachers who are interested in participating can register for the webinar online.
“Our partnership with the Government of Alberta has enabled us to deliver transformational financial literacy education to nearly six hundred thousand students across the province. As a high school teacher, I’ve witnessed firsthand how financial literacy education empowers students, increasing their confidence in money management and preparing them to be financially responsible. Investments in financial literacy are investments in our students’ futures, and I’m already seeing it pay dividends for Alberta students.”
Teachers can also access lesson plans, activities, and interactive tools from all three organizations’ websites to support financial literacy learning outcomes in Alberta’s curriculum.
Quick facts
- Financial literacy programming offered by the three organizations reaches more than 350,000 students annually.
- Alberta’s renewed K-6 curriculum includes an increased emphasis on financial literacy skills, as well as a stronger foundation in financial literacy in all grades.
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