Elon Musk questions legality of Canadian university’s diverse hiring practices

On Wednesday, Elon Musk took to X to question a University of British Columbia (UBC) job posting over its diversity and inclusion hiring practices.

“Is this legal in Canada?” the billionaire owner of Tesla and X said in response to another post mocking the research chair posting from the UBC School of Dentistry for its exclusion of “white heterosexual males.”

The post states explicitly that “in accordance with UBC’s CRC Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan and pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, the selection will be restricted to members of the following federally designated groups, people with disabilities, Indigenous people, racialized people, women, and people from minoritized gender identity groups.”

One Germany-based doctor added their thoughts in the comments, stating that diverse researchers are needed because oral cancers impact populations differently.

“Research led by diverse scientists is more likely to address these disparities, investigate the root causes, and propose targeted interventions,” wrote Simon Hundeshagen.

The response to Musk’s question was mixed. While most appeared to agree with him, some called him out.

“Discrimination against straight white men is encouraged in Canada,” Bret Sears, whose bio reads “Political Correctness Ruins Everything,” quipped.

“Why am I not surprised that it is a white heterosexual male billionaire that’s questioning the legality of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-based hiring practices in Canada??” asked one X user.

Another made a jab at Musk’s South African background:

“Yes, in Canada, it is legal to protect minority and female rights for equal pay and opportunity. It’s not South Africa apartheid.”

Matthew Evenden, Associate Vice-President of Research and Innovation at UBC, further explained the hiring details of the post to Daily Hive.

“For faculty hiring through the federal Canada Research Chair (CRC) program, UBC follows the requirements set by the CRC program, which identifies population-based targets for federally designated groups,” stated Evenden.

He noted that Section 42 of the Human Rights Code permits “social programs” for hiring that target historically underrepresented groups.

“UBC has received approval from BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner to use the special program provisions in order to achieve the goals required by the CRC program,” he said.

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