Key post should value record, not diversity

Boosting Canada’s image as a leader in science and technology played a large part in Justin Trudeau’s leadership campaign, bringing a promise of increased funding and political support for scientific research where Stephen Harper had failed.

The funding portion of the Liberal’s promise has since been witnessed, with $95 million being added to Canada’s primary granting agencies in 2016.

However, female scientists are now being treated as “applicants of interest” for the prestigious Canada Research chairs position, with Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan appearing to be more concerned with policing the identity of the holder of the position than advancing achievement.

As of December 2016, the Canada Research Chairs program (which receives $265 million a year) saw 30 per cent of the 1,612 positions filled by women. “In a globalized competitive economy, we cannot afford to leave half our talent on the sidelines,” Duncan says. “When I became minister of science, I made it clear I expected the universities to meet the equity and diversity targets they agreed to meet a decade ago.”

This is in reference to the Canada Excellence Research Chairs for which academic institutions are required to submit diversity plans. Duncan asserts “there simply hasn’t been enough progress.”

Universities have until Dec. 15 to provide their plans for achieving greater diversity among their Canada Research Chair candidates, and from there 18 to 24 months to demonstrate that they are achieving their target or risk losing their funding.

But isn’t this fixation on equality of outcome illiberal?

Canadians are privileged to live in a society embracing equality of opportunity, with men and women free to pursue any prospects. With that said, one must also factor meritocracy into the equation, especially for positions such as Canada Research Chair.

Between 2000 and 2015, 31 per cent of applicants for the Canada Research Chairs were women, so women are chosen in proportion to the rate at which they apply.

Is it wrong that more females are not applying? In a society already granting people equality of opportunity, no.

Rather, it is wrong for the government to mandate the outcome of the selection process because it demonstrates that it cares more about the identities than track records and the impact of their research. How can Canada hope to hedge ahead of global competition if innovation, novel thinking and cutting-edge techniques are not the ultimate focus of our science minister?