A new report reveals the depths of Ottawa’s DEI disaster

For a decade, the case for equity, diversity, and inclusion (DEI) in Canadian universities has rested on an article of faith: diversify who holds the chair, and the research gets stronger. A new Macdonald-Laurier Institute report, the first of its kind, tested that faith against the actual publication record of every Canada Research Chair (CRC) holder in the country. What it found is not simply that DEI carries a cost, but rather that Ottawa’s flagship research program—with a mission of making Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development by attracting and retaining world-class researchers—has quietly redefined the idea of excellence altogether. This “equity-excellence” trade-off, as the report puts it, is not only discriminating against some scholars simply on the basis of their race or gender, but it is also costing tens of millions of dollars per year and harming Canada’s overall ability to compete on the global stage. Eric Kaufmann, Leif Rasmussen, and Jonah Davids pulled the h-index (the standard measure combining a scholar’s output with how often it’s cited) for every chair holder on the federal government’s own database, then checked it against race and sex, controlling for career length, discipline, tier, and funding council. The higher the h-index, the better. Black and Indigenous chairs average an h-index of 18. Women average 28. White and Asian men average 38. East and Southeast Asian scholars scored 36, which rules out the easy objection that this is just racism against non-white academics generally. It isn’t. It’s what happens when race and sex replace merit as the most desirable qualification, and it’s eroding the quality of higher education. A new report by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute reveals that Ottawa’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Canadian universities is coming at the expense of its core mission. The report analyzes the publication records of Canada Research Chair (CRC) holders, showing that DEI initiatives favour lower-performing scholars based on race and gender, costing the system tens of millions annually. It highlights a significant increase in DEI language in research descriptions and a demographic shift in appointments, raising concerns about the long-term impact on Canada’s competitiveness in global research and development. Ask about this article — or anything in Canadian politics, economics, and public policy — powered by The Hub’s 5,000-article archive and deep area expertise. Comments (0)