Dalhousie University is set to hire a new Canada Research Chair in artificial intelligence, funded by the federal government, as part of a broader initiative to enhance A.I. research. However, the position is exclusively open to candidates who self-identify as women with disabilities or gender equity-seeking individuals with disabilities. The annual salary for this role is $100,000. The research focus will be on applying artificial intelligence to promote healthy aging, aligning with the federal government's commitment to advancing A.I. development.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's cabinet includes a minister of artificial intelligence, a position currently held by former CBC broadcaster Evan Solomon. This initiative reflects a growing trend in Canadian universities, including Dalhousie, to implement identity-based hiring practices. A report from the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy found that 98% of 489 academic job postings in Canada contained conditions that could be seen as discriminatory.

Dalhousie has been identified as one of the universities most actively using identity quotas in its hiring processes. Over the past year, the university has posted several positions that explicitly restrict applicants based on race, gender, or sexual identity. For example, a Canada Research Chair in marine carbon transformation was limited to “racialized,” “women,” or “gender equity-seeking” candidates. Similarly, a position focused on Indigenous prosperity was restricted to applicants Indigenous to Turtle Island, a term used to refer to North America in a decolonized context.

The Canada Research Chair program mandates that by December 2029, 50.9% of all chairs must be held by women and gender minorities, 22% by visible minorities, 7.5% by individuals with disabilities, and 4.9% by Indigenous people. This program allocates $310 million annually in federal funding, which is contingent upon adherence to these quotas. The program also maintains a detailed database of the identity characteristics of its funding recipients.

The issue of identity quotas in Canadian academia is currently under review by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research. Recently, Gad Saad from Concordia University presented evidence of similar hiring practices at other institutions, including the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia, which have also restricted positions based on race and gender identity.

In the United States, the use of identity-based quotas has faced legal challenges under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in federally funded programs. A notable case involved Harvard University, which had to revise its race-conscious admissions practices following a Supreme Court ruling. In contrast, Canadian law permits such hiring practices under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which allows for discrimination aimed at improving conditions for disadvantaged groups.

Dalhousie University affirms the self-identified characteristics of its faculty, with policies that prioritize equity-deserving groups based on self-identification. The definitions for these groups are broad, allowing individuals to qualify as “racialized” by simply identifying as non-white, and “disabled” by self-identifying with various impairments.

In other news, Jason Jacques has been appointed as Canada’s interim Parliamentary Budget Officer. In his initial public statements, he expressed grave concerns about the country’s financial outlook. Jacques warned that Canada may be on the brink of a debt crisis, stating, "If left unchanged, the fiscal path that the government’s currently on will definitely result in us being in quite a bit of trouble and having to make some hard decisions." He projected a $68.5 billion deficit for the current year and noted that the rate of debt accumulation is outpacing economic growth, raising alarms about the sustainability of Canada’s fiscal policies.