On January 16, The duty published a letter that the Minister of Higher Education of Quebec, Pascale Déry, wrote to the leaders of our universities to remind them of their duties with regard to academic freedom. Among other things, the Minister condemns “the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) requirements of Canada Research Chair programs for the hiring of professors”. In December, the latter had presented a motion in the House along the same lines and which had obtained unanimous support.
The outcry aroused by this practice for several months prompted the minister responsible for the file, François-Philippe Champagne, to react. On January 11, its spokesperson, Laurie Bouchard, said that Ottawa had its hands tied in this case by virtue of an order from the Federal Court. She further argued that Chairs are awarded on merit. These claims are simply lies.
Anyone familiar with this file knows very well that competence is not the only criterion. For example, the description of a competition for a research chair in Quebec-Canada history for which I would have liked to apply was clear, as it is for other postings. You must have “the required skills” and be “self-identified as […] women, Aboriginals, persons with disabilities and persons belonging to visible minorities”.
Indicate sexual orientation
Candidates must also answer questions about any disability they may have, their gender and also their sexual orientation, still within the framework of the quota policy. We must indicate, for example, if we are “pansexual, bisexual, trans woman, asexual, two-spirit, gender fluid”, and so on. The fact of having an attraction for people of the same sex, the opposite sex or for both falls within the private sphere. This has nothing to do with the federal bureaucrats or those at Laval University who, by asking the question, are violating the candidates’ right to privacy.
It is clear here that what counts now in Ottawa is to have researchers and scientists from certain groups. Soon, this phenomenon will extend to our surgeons, to our airplane pilots, to our athletes and how much. Competence is less and less taken into account, while skin color, gender and sexual orientation are becoming essential criteria.
This policy stems in particular from an agreement on diversity that the federal government signed in 2021 with Professor Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa. In 2016, he filed a discrimination complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Under pain of penalty, this agreement sets quotas for universities (based on the census) when they hire professor-researchers who hold Canada Research Chairs.
The agreement between Professor Attaran, the federal government and the Canadian Human Rights Commission was endorsed by the Federal Court. It is therefore not a decision of this court, but an agreement between the parties, validated by it. In this case, Ottawa acted on its own.
An anti-Quebec diversity
Interestingly, Professor Attaran, an American-born, has come to prominence in recent years for the gall he pours on our nation. Instead of taking note of the fact that French is the language of one of the founding peoples of his adopted country, he claims to be a victim of discrimination because he does not speak this language. Among other things, he accused Quebeckers of being white supremacists who let blacks and Aboriginals die in their hospitals.
It is therefore with this character that the feds made a pact. It is interesting to note that the agreement they signed with him revives the discrimination that certain groups suffered in the past, French Canadians and Jews for example. At the same time, the agreement gives additional rights to individuals like Attaran. The latter claims to be from a minority even though he is of Anglo-Saxon culture and in reality he is part of the English-Canadian majority.
This professor from the University of Ottawa is a hateful character, but he at least has the merit of advancing with his visor up. He spits regularly and without the slightest embarrassment on the Quebec national minority and wants to introduce racism against whites in our institutions. The Feds have decided to play in his game. Let them assume their decisions and spare us their hypocritical and lying speech according to which they have nothing to do with it!