Canada's research granting agencies should remove all references to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) from the process of awarding federal research funding, the parliamentary committee tasked with studying the question recommends.
In its report, Impact of the Criteria for Awarding Federal Funding on Research Excellence in Canada, presented to the House of Commons on Monday, Sept. 21, the Standing Committee on Science and Research (SRSR) describes EDI policies as "discriminatory" and says they are "delivering bad value for Canadian taxpayers by weakening research excellence in Canada and undermining public trust and confidence in federally funded research."
The report also recommends that the three main granting agencies the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) limit EDI considerations to the review of research project content, when appropriate, and "take steps to protect academic freedom and to promote viewpoint diversity" in funding programs.
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