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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Saint Paul University wishes to maintain the conditions for an equitable, diversified and inclusive research environment that fosters the emergence of new knowledge, the benefits of which contribute to solving local, national and global problems. 

In September 2019, the University adopted the principles of the Dimensions Charter on:  

  • Equity with respect to women, Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups and members of LGBTQ2+ communities;
  • Diversity with its many facets including age, education, parental status/responsibility, immigration status, religion, language, place of origin, ethnicity, culture and socio-economic status;
  • Inclusion, which refers to the practice of ensuring that all people are valued and respected for their contributions and receive equal support. 

These population considerations, identity markers and inclusive practices are observed in the selection of the members of the Research Committee who are drawn from the four faculties of the University. This research grants body, in turn, considers all of its factors in research decisions. The Research Committee is also the body responsible for allocation decisions for the Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund (CRCEF). Members of the Research Committee are required to complete an online training course (provided by the granting agencies) on unconscious bias: Unconscious Bias Training Module

Under the leadership of the Rector, Dr. Chantal Beauvais, the University Planning Committee, for its part, is responsible for integrating the principles of the Charter into the overall structural functioning of the University. It is under her leadership that an action plan for equity, diversity and inclusion indicators will be implemented. 

The action plan will guide the selection of future Canada Research Chairs (CRC), which must be in line with the axes of excellence of Saint Paul University's Strategic Research Plan. High-calibre, innovative research aimed at social justice with and among the EDI target populations is encouraged within the institution and will continue to be encouraged through the promotion of the various initiatives. 

The next action plan will also promote an EDI awareness strategy that will be deployed at Saint Paul University. This strategy will include initiatives such as training for staff and administrators, human resources management, selection of CRC candidates, and a reporting mechanism to ensure transparency with the current website that is to be developed and another regarding an update on EDI knowledge and best practices. 

The members of the University Planning Committee will complete the online training on unconscious bias. 

In addition, the Human Resources Services ensures full respect for equity, diversity and inclusion in all hiring processes and in the day-to-day management of labour relations. This department is notably responsible for the implementation of regulations promulgated by the Board of Governors, including Regulation RHR-204a Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace and Learning Environment

Finally, Saint Paul University is committed to a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples, with the intention of walking together in reconciliation. In order to do so and to contribute to the transformation of relations between peoples, the University has set up an Indigenous Initiatives Service led by two Knowledge Keepers, in support of First Nations, Inuit and Métis students. 

The Canada Research Continuity Emergency Fund (CRCEF) was announced in May 2020, as part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. The temporary program has been established to help sustain the research enterprise at Canadian universities and health research institutions that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected that the program will help reduce negative impacts of the pandemic and ensure that the benefits of significant investments to date in universities and health research institutions are protected. 

This program is a tri-agency program and is administered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on behalf of the three federal research funding agencies: SSHRC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). The Canada Research Coordinating Committee provides strategic oversight for the program and approves awards. The Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat provides administration. 

Program Objectives 

The program, which has a total budget of $450 million, has two objectives: 

  • as a priority, to provide wage support to universities and health research institutions, both of which are ineligible to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, to help them retain research-related personnel during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • to support extraordinary incremental costs associated with maintaining essential research-related commitments during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then ramping-up to full research activities as physical distancing measures are eased and research activities can resume. 

Decision-Making Process 

The Vice-President, Academic and Research, Dr. Jean-Marc Barrette, is responsible for ensuring that the program requirements are met. To this end, he has delegated the Research Committee, composed of four professors and two administrators, to manage the CRCEF competition. This committee includes: 

  • Dr. Karlijn Demasure of the Faculty of Canon Law, Director of the new Research Centre for Safeguarding Minors and Vulnerable Persons;
  • Dr. Catherine Clifford of the Faculty of Theology, Director of the Research Centre for Vatican II and 21st Century Catholicism;
  • Dr. Cynthia Bilodeau of the Faculty of Human Sciences, recipient of a SSHRC Knowledge Development grant – she participates in some of the University's most innovative research projects;
  • Dr. Rajesh Chandra Shukla of the Faculty of Philosophy – his interests lie in the integration of immigrants in Canada;
  • Mr. Mohamed Kouachi, Manager of the Office of Research and Ethics;
  • Dr. Jean-Marc Barrette, Vice-Rector Academic and Research.

This committee receives the approval of the University Senate. 

The Research Committee is also responsible for developing a strategy for the distribution of CRCEF funds in accordance with EDI criteria. The Human Resources Services ensures that the same is done in the treatment and selection of the University's research staff. Composed of men and women from diverse backgrounds, the Research Committee has a variable-geometry composition in terms of the expertise that is brought together in this group. It has also developed evaluation criteria to ensure that it does not impede access to funding for people from under-represented or equity-seeking groups, or people who have been personally affected by the pandemic. 

In the first competition, with the allowable amount of just over $3,119, the Research Committee supported an emerging professor-researcher working on a project on the use of video games and virtual technologies in the prevention of sexual abuse among minors and vulnerable persons. 

For the second competition, the Research Committee approved the strategy of maximizing the research efforts of active research professors, all of whom were funded by an internal Private Research Fund and funds from the annual operating budget that support the University's Research Centres. 

The human resources database and the financial resources database would identify the six projects of the professor-researchers and their six students that the second CRCEF competition would support. The use of these databases ensures an objective, neutral selection, thus eliminating any risk of negative effects of unconscious biases or systemic barriers that an institutional selection could have created. 

In fact, all six research projects received the full funding requested for a total of just over $12,642. The following are a few examples of innovative projects that offer hope for encouraging future results or are off the beaten track:

  • The identification of studies on the psychotherapeutic treatment of persons who experienced sexual abuse(s) in childhood and/or adolescence and are receiving treatment in adulthood. Funding enabled a researcher to support the work of a doctoral student.
  • The preparation of a colloquium on the development of a research data management service for the humanities and social sciences - as part of the University's activities to integrate appropriate mechanisms for the management and sharing of research data of the University's professor-researchers. The funding enabled a researcher-librarian to work with a bachelor's student.
  • The G5 Sahel Joint Force to the test of terrorism, in which a student worked on an analysis of interactions based on the comments collected between the G5 actors. Funding enabled a professor-researcher to support the work of a doctoral student.
  • The inventory of the Vatican II Archives, which presents the work of Canadian bishops within the Council and the University, through its Research Centre for Vatican II and 21st Century Catholicism, wants to make these documents accessible to other researchers interested in the field. The funding allowed a researcher to support the work of a doctoral student.
  • The examination of the ability to use the imagination in order to probe how people can imagine their destiny, their well-being in a context of increased climate change, in other words, to understand an aspect of eco-anxiety. The funding enabled this professor-researcher to hire a master's student.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for the Management of the CRCEF Grant - Statement of Commitment 

Saint Paul University recognizes that the EDI strengthens the university community and is committed to supporting these values as a priority as strategic factors for research excellence. The University also agrees that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their community as a whole and particularly those seeking equity. In the same vein, the University is committed to the principles of responsible management and public accountability for the EDI of the CRCEF. 

Saint Paul University's Commitment to Research Personnel 

Saint Paul University made the decision not to proceed with any layoffs and to guarantee the salaries of the research staff, confident that support plans would be in place. This exceptional measure ensures that staff paid from research funds are normally paid as if they were performing their usual work. It applies to professional, administrative and support staff, as well as postdoctoral fellows and students. This measure is applied as a complement to the support plans of the granting agencies. 

For the next CRCEF competitions as for the first ones, the Research Committee will grant the facilitating and humane conditions for professor-researchers and their students experiencing difficulties in the present context of Covid-19, as demonstrated by the Rector's leadership at the beginning of the pandemic granting to each of them the conditions best adapted to their situation: telework, flexibility of telework schedules, taking into account the new schedules of schools and day-care centers, opening of the University and the Library, among others. 

An employee's state of health or special condition may be grounds for refusing to return to work in person. As such, in accordance with government directives, Saint Paul University applies specific measures for the various situations of individuals. 

Tri-Agency Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

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) are committed to supporting research excellence and the training of current and future researchers. The creation of an equitable, diverse and inclusive research environment in Canada is essential to the conduct of original research that is of outstanding quality and has the potential to yield benefits that advance knowledge and solve local, national and global problems. 

With these goals in mind, the agencies are committed to: 

  • Supporting equitable access to funding opportunities for all researchers and trainees;
  • Promoting the integration of equity, diversity and inclusion-related considerations in research design and practices;
  • Increasing equitable and inclusive participation in the research system, including on research teams;
  • Collecting the data and conducting the analyses needed to include equity, diversity and inclusion considerations in decision-making. 

Through these means the agencies will work with those involved in the research system to develop the inclusive culture needed for research excellence and to achieve outcomes that are rigorous, relevant and accessible to diverse populations. 

EDI Resources 

The Tri-Council and International resources 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Contact Person 

Dr. Jean-Marc Barrette, Vice Rector, Academic and Research.