A federal grant is providing graduate and undergraduate students $6000 a year, but it’s only available to individuals who identify as Black. 

Students who don’t identify as Black are ineligible to apply for the scholarship, even if they’ve achieved higher academically. 

“To be considered for the Black scholars funding, meritorious applicants in the above-mentioned competitions must self-identify as Black in their application,” the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) website states.

NSERC further states the funding “will contribute to closing representation gaps.”

Hundreds of Black-identifying students are being awarded the grant money for scientific research at Canadian universities such as the University of Alberta. 

The federal budget in 2022-23 included $41 million of funding over 5 years towards Black students, followed by the promise of an annual $10 million after that, as reported by the Edmonton Journal.

The University of Alberta also promotes multiple “resources for black students” that are specifically made to support their “academic development” and are not focused on other races. 

Federal grants at odds with UCP policies

Alberta’s United Conservative Party has stated in their member policy declaration that they should “ban post-secondary institutions from the use of race as a factor in any admissions program or procedure.” 

Policy 202.4-f states that “any post-secondary institution that maintains a DEI office, policy, or equivalent shall lose government financial support.”

However, the Minister of Advanced Education’s Press Secretary, Mackenzie Blyth, told The Counter Signal that funding and eligibility criteria for grants from NSERC are allocated and determined by the federal government.

“Alberta post-secondary institutions are only responsible for providing students with information about available grants and funding streams,” Blyth said, adding, “Alberta’s government does not determine eligibility criteria for these grants.”

Trudeau Liberals, team DEI

In December, a massive report was given to the Trudeau Liberals by an “equity task force” that seeks to make legislative changes to hiring practices.

The report insists that the recommendations do not entail “quotas” for hiring. However, one of the report’s recommendations reads that employers should be allowed to “correct” underrepresented groups among their staff.