Article content continued

This latter point is in reference to a version of the program called the Canada Excellence Research Chairs to which the Minister of Science had made changes, requiring that academic institutions applying had to submit diversity plans. A decade later, Duncan asserts “there simply hasn’t been enough progress.” Universities will now have until December 15 of this year to provide their plans for achieving greater diversity among their Canada Research Chair candidates, and from there will have 18-24 months to demonstrate that they are achieving their targets — or risk losing their funding if they fail to do so.

It’s clear that Duncan’s definition of progress is the equality of outcome between males and females, and not the academic yield of those possessing Canada Research Chair positions. But isn’t this fixation on equality of outcome illiberal?

In Canada, we are privileged to live in a society wholly embracing of equality of opportunity, with men and women free to pursue any career prospects that prove to be personally enriching and rewarding. With that said, one must also factor meritocracy into the equation, especially for positions such as Canada Research Chair, which receives grants in the form of taxpayer money and for which credentials and track records matter significantly.

Returning now to the previous statistic revealing that 30 per cent of Canada Research Chair positions are held by women: between 2000 and 2015, 31 per cent of applicants for the position were women. This number shows that women are chosen for the position in proportion to the rate at which they apply, with the most qualified and deserving being selected.