Several Quebec politicians are criticizing a university for posting a job posting that excludes white men.
Ministers in Francois Legault's government took exception on Wednesday to a call for candidates from Laval University that they consider exaggerated and even discriminatory.
The call for applications in question, for a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in biology, was slammed on Monday by comedian and political activist Guy Nantel and widely criticized on social media.
"To favour the hiring or granting of research funds to under-represented groups, with equal competence, yes," said Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault on her Facebook page on Wednesday. "But to explicitly exclude competent people because they are not part of a visible minority or because they are men is overkill for the Quebec government."
In its call for applications, Laval University specifies that only women, Indigenous people, people with disabilities and visible minorities will be considered.
The institution "cannot submit other types of nomination profiles until its representation targets are met, in accordance with the requirements of the CRC program," it says.
The criteria for Canada Research Chairs excluding qualified individuals from universities goes too far, according to Guilbault.
"This is quite surprising," said Nadine Girault, Quebec Minister of International Relations. "We don't want to discriminate on one side, we shouldn't discriminate on the other side either.
"In my opinion, the job offer should be open to everyone, to all good candidates. It's a bit awkward," she added before going to question period.
Her colleague, Minister responsible for Indigenous Affairs Ian Lafrenière, suggested that it was borderline insulting for a candidate to be selected because of their gender or skin colour.
He gave the example of his wife who is a police officer.
"My wife, to be told that she is hired because she is a woman, it drives her crazy, she hates it," he said. "She was hired because she is competent, and yes, she is a woman."
QS WILL NOT CONDEMN LAVAL U
While the CAQ ministers denounced the situation, the parliamentary leader of Quebec Solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, chose not to condemn Laval University.
In a news conference at the National Assembly, he stressed the importance of having institutions that are more representative of society.
"It is important to have targets for the representation of diversity and minorities in public institutions. It is important that these targets be binding," he argued. "But there are more progressive ways to reach those targets. (...) What we proposed to Quebec Solidaire was one out of four hires until the target is reached for the organization in question."
The Quebec Liberal Party and the Parti Québécois, although they said they were in favour of better representation, both came out strongly against the way Laval University was doing things.
"Excluding people from candidacies, I don't think that's the right approach," said Liberal leader Dominique Anglade.
"It's completely unacceptable," said PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. "It prevents certain candidates, with a certain profile, from being evaluated on the merits of their skills."
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 30, 2022.
