Canada Research Chairs Program Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan

As part of Wilfrid Laurier University’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, the Canada Research Chair Program Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan outlines how Laurier intends to identify, prevent, and remove barriers to inclusion for those who identify as women, having disabilities, racialized, Indigenous and part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the CRC Program.

• Institutional Overview and Guiding Principles
• Laurier’s Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Approach and Governance
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives and Measurement Strategies
  • Goal 1: To Increase Support Systems, Tools and Education related to EDI
  • Goal 2: Improved Data Collection and Analysis to make EDI-Informed Decisions
  • Goal 3: Policies and Procedures Built with an Inclusive Lens
• Management of the CRC Program (CRCP)
  • Equity Targets
  • Annual Action Plan Public Report
  • Management of CRC Allocations
  • Selection and Nominations
  • Renewal Guidelines
  • Criteria for Advancement
  • Collection of Equity and Diversity Data
  • Retention and Inclusivity
• CRC Positions
  • Apply to CRC Positions (Internal and External)
  • Archived CRC Positions (Internal and External
• Appendices 
  • Appendix 1: Thematic Interview Instrument for Yearly Meetings between Research Facilitators and CRCs
  • Appendix 2: Count Yourself In: Laurier’s Employment Equity Survey
  • Appendix 3: Laurier's CRC Utilization Spreadsheet
  • Appendix 4: Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Reports
    • Link to CRC utilization spreadsheet
    • Link to Target Setting spreadsheet
  • Appendix 5: Canada Research Chairs Program: Equity Target Setting Exercise (2021-2029)
• Additional Information 

Institutional Overview and Guiding Principles

We would like to acknowledge that Wilfrid Laurier University and its campuses are located on the Haldimand Tract, traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples.

Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier) has prioritized enhancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as an essential strategy for future success in developing Laurier's first Action Plan for EDI, placing EDI at the core of Laurier’s Strategic Plan (2019-2024), Strategic Academic Plan (2015-2020), and Strategic Mandate Agreement. The development of this Canada Research Chairs (CRC) EDI Action Plan therefore aligns with the core goals and vision of Laurier. Laurier is actively working to increase the diversity of its student body, staff and faculty and is focused on understanding and removing barriers to inclusion and full participation of those from marginalized communities and individuals within the four designated groups (FDGs) (i.e., women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples and visible minorities).

Our commitment to EDI has been bolstered by the awarding of a Tri-Agency EDI Institutional Capacity-Building Grant that will support a Senior Advisor: EDI, two Faculty EDI Colleagues, a research associate and the development a Community of Practice on EDI.  Additionally, Laurier was thrilled to be among the first Canadian institutions to sign the Dimensions Program Charter and to be been selected as one of 17 post-secondary institutions to participate in the Dimensions: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Canada awards pilot program.

Laurier’s Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Laurier strives to be a diverse, inclusive, supportive and responsive community. With equity and inclusion at the heart of our core academic principles and strategic planning, we promote civic engagement, global citizenship at home and abroad, diversity and fairness. As part of this commitment, Laurier is actively working to facilitate and enable diversity among its student body, staff and faculty as well as to remove systemic barriers that impact the development and success of members from equity deserving groups. Our strategies for recruiting and selecting our CRCs and their research teams are no exception. Increasing representation from equity deserving groups strengthens Laurier’s research efforts and the university as a whole.

Approach and Governance

Laurier developed a CRC EDI Working Group to oversee all aspects of the Action Plan’s development, review and implementation. A diverse group of committee members were selected to ensure that the committee included individuals from all FDGs and the 2SLGBTQ+ community, past and current CRCs, and individuals with expertise in fostering EDI. Membership includes representation from current and past CRCs, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII), the Equity and Accessibility team in Human Resources (HR), Faculty Relations, the Office of Research Services (ORS), the Office of teh Associate Vice President EDI, the Laurier Centre for Women in Science, the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and both the Vice-President of Research and the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources and Equity. The CRC EDI Working Group meets quarterly with the goal of aligning Laurier’s broader research enterprise with its commitment to EDI, including establishing benchmarks, monitoring progress and developing short and long-term actions.

The Action Plan was also reviewed by Laurier’s Executive Leadership Team, Senate Committee on Research and Publications and the Vice-President Academic’s Advisory Council which includes all Deans. Laurier’s Action Plan is monitored by Laurier’s ORS and the Equity & Accessibility team in HR.  Periodic reports on measures, progress and course correction are brought to the attention of, and addressed by, the Working Group.

Action Plan Foundation: The Laurier Context

Laurier’s CRC EDI Action Plan seeks to develop objectives, indictors and actions that will ensure that Laurier continues to meet and exceed its CRC equity targets.  The objectives outlined in the Action Plan were developed after a robust assessment, including: 1) a comparative review, 2) an  employment systems review and 3) an environmental scan of the Laurier context.  The objectives are aligned with the results of this assessment, which identified gaps in the institution’s current approach to EDI on both an institutional level and specifically with CRCs, and the lessons learned from current and previous EDI initiatives from across Laurier.

Comparative Review

A comparative review is defined by Laurier as an assessment of equity in the compensation and support for faculty, including their salaries and benefits, research personnel and the resources/infrastructure needed to effectively conduct their research. In assessing the aforementioned issues, attention is also paid to systemic barriers experienced by members of equity deserving groups. Two comparative reviews that have been conducted at Laurier are discussed below. 

Gender Based Pay-Equity Analysis

In 2016, Laurier conducted a gender-based pay-equity analysis across the institution and determined that a gender-based disparity in pay existed at the associate and full professor ranks.  As a result, the institution adjusted the salaries for all female associate and full professors. Pay gaps were not present for other categories of employees. In addition to the analysis, Laurier and its Faculty Association established a Bilateral Committee on Systemic Equal Pay Issues to continue to develop and monitor practices aimed at preventing gender and other systemic wage discrimination, and to ensure equitable compensation and employment practices are continually implemented. An analysis has not yet been conducted specifically for faculty in other FDGs. However, the Bilateral Committee on Systemic Equal Pay’s mandate includes an analysis of pay-equity among visible minorities, persons with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples. With improved collection and analysis of data (including salaries) that will occur under the Dimensions Pilot Program, any pay-inequities identified among equity deserving groups (including CRCs) will be forwarded to the Bilateral Committee for review and action.

CRC Comparative Review

In addition to this institution wide comparative review, a comparative review of Laurier’s CRCs was conducted by the ORS to determine any potential differences in salary, research support, course remissions, office and/or laboratory space, and other administrative supports. This analysis was conducted in consultation with Faculty Relations who provided all relevant employment data and through individual meetings between CRCs and ORS Research Facilitators, where Facilitators gathered qualitative data on the experiences of CRCs. Table 1.0 outlines the findings of the comparative review and actions the institution took in responses.

No other disparities were identified during the comparative review, and this is attributed to Laurier’s well-established and managed policies under the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians Collective Agreement, and previous salary adjustments. Importantly, discrepancies were not identified among CRCs in the FDGs relative to their colleagues.

To address CRCs ongoing research needs and challenges, Research Facilitators meet with all CRCs within their portfolio on an annual basis. The meeting involves an informal conversation about the needs of CRCs and barriers to their ongoing work. Laurier’s Research Facilitators work extremely closely with faculty members to support the advancement of their research programs. Research Facilitators are based in the ORS, with no reporting relationships to departments or Faculties which allows them to have candid conversations about sensitive issues pertaining to the CRCs overall experience. Research Facilitators also have knowledge of support services that are available for CRCs, and work directly with the appropriate university units to address any challenges they may be facing. The informality of these meetings have made it difficult to systematically gather data that can be used for the comparative assessment of CRCs. The creation of a new interview instrument to address this gap is discussed under the environmental scan (see Appendix 1).

Challenges identified through the comparative review are addressed in further detail under Goals 2d and 2e of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives and Measurement Strategies subsection of the Action Plan.

Employment Systems Review

Laurier’s Employment Systems Review is aimed at assessing recruitment, selection and onboarding of faculty members and staff. This review addresses transparency in recruitment, potential barriers that prevent individuals within the FDGs from applying, and biases against the selection of applicants within the FDGs.  The Employment Systems Review also assesses faculty recruitment and promotion processes, staff recruitment, and the recruitment, onboarding, retention and advancement of CRCs, as outlined below.

Faculty Recruitment and Promotions Review

As part of collective agreement negotiations, WLUFA and Laurier agreed to establish a Bilateral University-Association Employment Equity Committee to review the recruitment, promotion and tenure process as outlined in the collective agreement through an equity lens. The goal was to review employment systems that impact faculty recruitment and retention. Specifically, the effectiveness of the employment equity articles in the collective agreement were reviewed in great depth and compared to contemporary research on best practices in faculty employment equity. The proposed revisions expand the involvement of individuals from equity deserving groups on appointment, tenure and promotion committees beyond women; embed well trained and supported equity representative on every appointment, tenure and promotion committee; streamlines a user-friendly applicant self-identification process; improve communication between the appointment and promotion committees, deans and the Provost on what equity considerations were implemented; and improve data available to everyone involved in the process to make better informed equitable decisions.

Staff Recruitment Review

With the establishment of a Strategic Recruitment Consultant position in HR, Laurier extensively reviewed our staff recruitment and onboarding processes in 2018. Gaps included inconsistencies in the candidate experience, inconsistencies in the candidate assessment tools used, differences in how equity language was embedded into job descriptions and job requirements and an overall lack of education around biases and systemic barriers to inclusion, which can impact hiring decisions. As a result, the institution developed a new staff recruitment model. The new model incorporates best practices in employment equity and is aligned with the best practices outlined by the CRC program. The model also relies on the development of community partnerships and outreach activities to increase the diversity of the pool of applicants. This was a clear need identified during the staff recruitment review.  As two examples:

• Laurier has established a partnership with NationTalk to promote all of Laurier’s faculty and staff job postings to Indigenous networks; and
• the local Immigration Partnership Network was expanded to increase Laurier’s presence within the new Canadian population, especially visible minorities.

CRC Recruitment, Onboarding, Retention and Advancement Review

With support from Laurier’s CRC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, the ORS and Equity and Accessibility Team in HR conducted an employment systems review for CRCs. This included an extensive review of all employment practices related to CRCs’ recruitment, onboarding, retention and advancement. The review revealed numerous gaps including a lack of policies and transparency related to the internal allocation of CRCs, in consistent recruitment practices, an absence of proactive and targeted recruitment, and inconsistent supports provided to CRCs once recruited.

Challenges identified through the employment systems review are addressed in further detail under Goals 1d, 1e, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b and 3c of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives and Measurement Strategies subsection of the Action Plan.

Environmental Scan

Laurier’s environmental scan documents and assesses the diversity of the workforce as well as identifies factors in Laurier’s work environment that promote or hinder the success of staff, faculty (including CRCs) and the broader university community. Laurier’s environmental scan assesses two main components: (1) representation, which captures the population of faculty and staff from the FDGs and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and (2) workforce health, which assesses the levels of employment engagement and sense of belonging as experienced by faculty and staff. Workforce health data is also broken down to assess the experiences of individual FDGs and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.

FDG and 2SLGBTQ+ Representation at Laurier

Laurier has collected data on members of the FDGs in its workforce since 2001, and on persons who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community since 2005. 2SLGBTQ+ individuals are not part of the FDGs, Laurier recognizes that they constitute an equity deserving group. The instrument was used to collect representation data is presented in Appendix 2. These data were analyzed and compared to both national and regional externally available data in accordance with the principles of the Federal Contractors Program. The analysis, along with a report of all Laurier’s employment equity initiatives, has been published and presented annually by the Equity and Accessibility team in HR to Laurier’s Executive Leadership Team and its Board of Governors.

Women

Women continue to make up a large percentage of Laurier’s workforce, representing 61.7% of employees. Despite this high level of general participation, underrepresentation in female faculty still exists (45.1%).

Indigenous Peoples

Overall, 1.4% of Laurier’s employees self-identify as Indigenous. Among staff members, 1.6% identify as Indigenous, which is slightly above the external labour market pool of 1.3%. However, Laurier does have a gap amongst the academic cohort; 1.3% of Laurier faculty identify as Indigenous, compared to 2.1% in the external labour market.

Persons with Disabilities

Overall, Laurier’s workforce reflects an underrepresentation of persons with disabilities; 3.9% compared to 4.9% external availability. Among faculty, Laurier approximately matches the external availability with 3.6% compared to 3.8%. As the definition of disability used by the province expands, stigma surrounding disability decreases, and as our workforce population ages we can expect to see more employees self-identifying as having a disability. Also, it is important to note that most employees experiencing temporary disabilities or illnesses will not be reflected in this data as the Federal Contractors Program addresses permanent disabilities.

Racialized or Member of a Visible Minority

Laurier continues to reflect an underrepresentation of racialized employees overall with 9.8% compared to 14.6% external availability. Approximately 14.6% of Laurier faculty self-identify as visible minorities compared to 19.9% of the external pool. This gap is even larger amongst staff, where only 7.8% of Laurier staff identify as a visible minority compared to 14.6% of the external pool. Since this gap has increased over the 15 years that Laurier has collected equity data, this is a major area of emphasis in our employment equity initiatives.

2SLGBTQ+ Persons

Since those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ are not considered a designated group by the Federal Government, and data on sexual and/or gender minorities is not included in the 2006 or 2011 Canadian Census, it is not possible to compare the internal and external workforces in this area. Laurier recognizes that members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community may experience barriers to employment, thereby, includes these groups in its proactive employment equity practices and has collected internal representation data on this category since 2005. Since then, Laurier has consistently seen an increase in the number of staff and faculty identifying as 2SLGBTQ+ over time, with 5.1% of Laurier’s faculty and 3.1% of its staff identifying as 2SLGBTQ+ in 2018.

The analysis of these representation data across Laurier shows that the greatest and most persistent underrepresentation gaps exist among faculty who identify as racialized. As well, Laurier acknowledges that gaps exist in the representation of faculty who identify as Indigenous, having disabilities and women. Actions that have been taken to address gaps in the representation of individuals from the FDGs are highlighted in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives and Measurement Strategies subsection of the Action Plan.  

Workforce Health at Laurier

​​Laurier defines employee engagement as the level of enthusiasm and dedication an individual feels towards their job. Engaged employees have an emotional and intellectual connection to their job, organization, colleagues and leadership. Engaged employees have less turnover, increased productivity and efficiency and are happier both at work and at home. As part of Laurier’s commitment towards fostering an inclusive environment built through employee voices, the Laurier leadership team commissioned a third-party expert organization to conduct the ‘Have Your Say at Laurier Engagement Survey’ in late 2018. This provided staff and faculty with an opportunity to share their perspectives about working at Laurier and provided a meaningful way for employee feedback to impact change, both within their work environment and across the university. The survey questions addressed sense of belonging, demographics, sense of safety, and institutional commitment to EDI, and whether Laurier values diverse ideas, identities and ways of thinking.  Respondents were able to provide ideas on how to address EDI related concerns.

Overall, 49% of Laurier's faculty and staff participated in the survey. As expected, response rates were strongest among staff (68%) but faculty/librarian responses (42%) and contract teaching faculty (16%) responses were within the expected benchmark for response rates. The three key drivers for employee engagement, as described by all three groups: staff, faculty/librarians and contract teaching faculty, were shown to be Professional Growth, Work Environment and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As the engagement survey included questions related to personal identity, Laurier further analyzed the survey results by segmenting the responses of each of the FDGs and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals to identify variations in experiences. The key findings of the survey are as follows:

• Employees who identified as being from an equity deserving group were in-line with the expected participation rates as outlined above. Of the 42% of faculty/librarians who completed the engagement survey 48% identified as women, 13% identified as racialized, 5% identified as having a disability, 1% identified as being Indigenous and 6% identified as being part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
• Employees who identified as being from an equity deserving group mostly agreed that “overall, my workplace feels inclusive”; however those who identified as being Indigenous or having a disability agreed at a lesser rate than others.
• Those who identified as Indigenous were least likely to agree that Laurier “values diverse identities, ideas and ways of thinking”.
• Just over 50% of Laurier employees, including those from FDGs agreed that “Laurier’s workforce reflects with diversity of the community”, with the most strong disagreement coming from those from the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This question had the least positive response of all the EDI-related questions asked.
• All employees, including those from FDGs, identified equity, diversity and inclusion as a key driver for employee engagement and improvements in this area should result in increased employee engagement.

With this increased understanding of employee engagement, Laurier is taking steps to address some of the opportunities for improvement that emerged from the survey. For example, the engagement survey results informed the development of Laurier’s Strategic Plan (2019-2024) and is reflected in Laurier’s goal to build a Thriving Community by “fostering a highly personalized, equitable, diverse and inclusive community in which all members can experience the powerful sense of belonging…”. The results of this survey also reinforced the decision to a recruit a Senior Advisor for EDI.  This is a senior leadership position dedicated to addressing these issues in collaboration with other units within the university. Laurier’s Senior Advisor of EDI will support Laurier’s Executive Leadership team in the collaborative development of policies, actions and initiative that will address the needs identified. To support the work of the Senior Advisor, EDI, Laurier has created a number of new staff roles, embedded in units across the institution, that will be dedicated to the advancement of EDI at the institution.

While the assessment of workforce health includes the experiences of CRCs, we also recognize the need to specifically assess the experiences of CRCs as it pertains to the institutional environment. As noted in the comparative review, Research Facilitators meet annually with CRCs to discuss barriers and successes in their work. In the past, these meetings have been informal, and have traditionally not addressed CRC experiences of Laurier’s institutional environment. However, starting this year an interview instrument has been created to guide Research Facilitators’ conversation with chair holders about their experiences with the institutional environment (Appendix 1). In our experience, the informality of these conversations has proven effective in creating an environment where CRCs can freely express themselves and speak openly about their challenges. Resulting outcomes of these meetings will be communicated (in confidence) to the Vice President, Research and Senior Advisor, EDI who will identify and work with the department(s)/unit(s) that addresses any issues identified.

The key challenges identified through the environmental scan are further addressed under Goals 1a, 1b, 1c, 1e, 2a, 2c, 2d, 2e, 3b and 3d of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives and Measurement Strategies subsection of the Action Plan.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Objectives and Measurement Strategies

Through the comparative review, employment systems review, and environmental scan, three broad gaps were identified, including:

1. the need for increased education and support related to EDI;
2. the need to improve data collection and analysis to make evidence-based EDI-informed decisions; and
3. the need to further develop institutional policies and procedures using an inclusive lens.

Reframing these gaps into three broad goals, the subsequent sections captures the following information in tables: (1) specific actions that Laurier intends to take to address gaps identified, (2) the alignment of the proposed actions with specific gaps identified, (3) indicators that will be used to monitor Laurier’s progress in addressing the gaps, (4) the timeline within which Laurier expects to address the gaps, (4) senior leadership and their respective teams who will maintain oversight on the implementation of the actions identified. 

Goal 1: To Increase Support Systems, Tools and Education related to EDI

Creating a more inclusive environment at Laurier will lead to a more inclusive environment for CRCs and their research teams.  We recognize that attracting a more diverse workforce alone will not necessarily result in a more inclusive environment and that retention and advancement are also key to maintaining a thriving, equitable and inclusive environment. The analysis of the employee engagement survey revealed that Laurier employees perceive EDI as one of three key drivers of positive employee engagement. A large number of Laurier employees also identified that the diversity of the Laurier community does not reflect the diversity of communities within which the campuses are located. There is therefore a recognized need to increase education and support around the experiences of individuals from equity deserving groups.  In response to these findings, Laurier commits to increasing the number of resources, and educational opportunities to support a thriving community. This includes a number of different initiatives:

Goal 2: Improved Data Collection and Analysis to make EDI-Informed Decisions

Although Laurier has collected demographic related data for a number of years, the data has only been analyzed using the principles of the Federal Contractors program. The analysis has not been informed through an intersectional approach and data from casual employee groups such as contract teaching faculty (instructors) has not been collected. In conducting the environmental scan, comparative review and employment systems review, it was difficult to gauge the effectiveness of well-intentioned EDI initiatives. Through the Dimensions Pilot Program, Laurier will improve data collection and analysis to allow for the incorporation of an intersectional lens to better understand the lived experience of its CRCs and all members of its community.

The timing of the initiatives launched by the Federal Government to advance EDI was well aligned with Laurier’s institutional goals and strategies. As one of the first institutions to sign the Dimensions Charter and a recipient of an EDI-Capacity Building Grant and Dimensions Pilot Program participant, Laurier has strategically positioned itself to make significant strides towards enhancing EDI. To better understand what changes will have the greatest impact, Laurier needs to better understand its environment and systemic barriers to inclusion. This also includes embedding more contemporary ways of analysing data within an intersectional lens and with more emphasis on different experiences within individual clusters of FDGs. The following table details initiatives that will help address these gaps:

Goal 3: Policies and Procedures Built with an Inclusive Lens

As a university, policies and procedures guide Laurier’s operations, its everyday decisions and informal interactions. They inform, and are created by institutional culture and they can simultaneously create both opportunities and barriers to inclusion. The reviews highlighted opportunities to make Laurier’s policies and procedures, even informal ones, more inclusive.

As a unionized institution, many of the policies and procedures related to CRCs as faculty members are jointly negotiated by the Laurier and the faculty association. As such, collective agreement language can be challenging to alter expeditiously to reflect best practices in EDI. With that said, Laurier recognizes that policies and procedures, including informal ones, have great impact of the experiences of its CRCs. Often, the lack of policies and procedures creates less transparency and opens the door to systemic barriers to inclusion. Laurier and its faculty association are both committed to working together to reimagine its policies and procedures through an inclusive lens. These commitments are reflected as follows:

Management of the CRC Program (CRCP): Equity Targets, Allocation Process, Selection and Nominations, Renewals, Advancement, Equity Data

Collection, Retention and Inclusivity

Laurier’s current vacancies include four Tier II chairs and one Tier I chair. Over the next two years the university will have one additional vacant chair (Tier II CRC). Some of these vacancies are currently in the process of recruitment. In filling the remaining vacancies and renewals, Laurier will follow the processes as outlined in the Management of CRC Allocations section of the Action Plan.

Based on 13 CRCs, the demographics of Laurier’s current CRCs are in-line with its CRCP targets. Laurier aspires to go beyond these targets to include at least one CRC who identifies as Indigenous and at least one CRC who identifies as a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. To meet these aspirational targets, specific consideration will be given to nominating a CRC who identifies as Indigenous in the future.

*Note: Numbers less than five are withheld to protect the privacy of CRCs, as per CRCP guidelines.

For additional information please see:

• Canada Research Chairs Program: Equity Target Setting Exercise (2021-2029)
• Laurier’s CRC utilization spreadsheet

Annual Action Plan Public Report

An annual public report coordinated by the ORS and Equity and Accessibility in HR on the outlined action plan is available:

• 2018/19 Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Report
• 2019/20 Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Report
• 2020/21 Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Report

Management of CRC Allocations

• 5.14 Safe Disclosure
• 6.1 Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination
• 8.1. Conflict of Interest Policy
• 8.4 Employment Equity
• 8.7 Employment Accommodation Policy
• 9.4 Information Security Policy Statement
• 10.1 Privacy Protection and Information Access Policy

Currently, the allocation of CRCs involves three groups:

• Research Services Council (RSC): The primary responsibility of the Research Services Council is to assess the unit proposals for new CRC allocations and renewal nominations. The RSC will make recommendations to the CRC Review Committee. The RSC comprises the Deans (or designates) from each unit.
• CRC Review Committee: The CRC allocation and renewal procedures will be administered by the CRC Review Committee, which comprises the Vice-President, Research and Vice-President, Academic. The primary responsibility of the CRC Review Committee is the effective management of Laurier's quota of CRCs; this includes the overall deployment of CRCs, and assessment of the performance of incumbents as the basis for decisions on university support for further term renewals. In carrying out its responsibilities, the CRC Review Committee will receive recommendations from the APCs and the RSC.
• Appointment and Promotions Committees (APCs) (as governed by the WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians CA): The primary responsibilities of APCs are to recruit and recommend incumbents for CRC nominations. The APCs meet with candidates through a formal recruitment process and make a final recommendation to their Dean and the CRC Review Committee for review.

EDI Training Requirements

Any individual involved in the processes or management of CRC allocation and recruitment is required to have training related to unconscious bias, equity, diversity and inclusion:

1. All individuals involved in the recruitment and selection of CRCs must complete the unconscious bias training module provided through the CRC Secretariat; and 
2. The Chairs of all APCs and at least one other member from each APC are required to attend in-person training related to EDI in the search process and are provided ongoing support throughout the hiring process by Laurier’s Equity and Accessibility Officer.

Future Allocations and Selection of Vacant Chairs

Laurier may receive additional CRC positions through:

• Completion of two terms by incumbent;
• Non-renewal of an incumbent for an additional term;
• Retirement or resignation of an incumbent; and
• Increase in Laurier’s CRC quota by the CRC Secretariat.

All CRCs that are new or vacant will be held by Laurier. The RSC will review if the corridor of flexibility should be applied to new or vacant chairs as they become available and will make recommendations to the CRC Review Committee for approval. 

Vacancies will be assigned to a particular unit using a competitive process, based on the adjudication of written proposals submitted by the units. Competitions will be held only when there is a vacancy or anticipated vacancy. The RSC will solicit proposals from Faculties for new or vacant chairs, within 18 months of the targeted date for submission of the application to the CRC secretariat.

Proposals for vacant chairs will be adjudicated and ranked using the following general criteria (in no particular order):

• Consistency with Laurier’s Strategic Research Plan;
• Alignment with unit's academic plan (or equivalent) and academic staffing strategy;
• Need for, and opportunity to build, "critical mass" in the proposed theme;
• Potential for collaborations within Laurier and/or externally;
• Potential for graduate and postdoctoral training;
• Unit expectations for research leadership;
• Potential/perceived impact of the proposed CRC on Laurier’s capacity and international reputation in research; and
• Plan for sustainability of CRCs after the natural end date or unexpected end date through the reallocation process.
• Proposals must indicate if the unit intends to fill a vacant chair internally or externally.

Units who are successful in an application for a CRC are fully responsible for supporting the incumbent at the conclusion of their chair term (either at the natural end date or unexpected end date through the reallocation process). Proposals should outline the expected level of support that will be provided to the chair (all units are responsible for providing CRCs with a salary stipend, office and lab space, mentoring, administrative support, and equipment, as applicable).

Timeline for New CRC Applications

• Internal call for proposals to host CRC: 18 months prior to CRC submission.
• Internal proposals due: 16 months prior to CRC submission.
• RSC recommends allocation to CRC Review Committee and CRC Review Committee approves: 15 months prior to CRC submission.
• Unit recruitment strategy is reviewed by Equity and Accessibility in HR and approved by the CRC Review Committee: 13 months prior to CRC submission.
• Position is advertised and recruitment is conducted as per the WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians Collective Agreement. The APC makes recommendations to the Dean and the CRC Review Committee. All applicants must apply with a CRC application: 12 months prior to CRC submission.
• Name of the nominee is due to the ORS. ORS Facilitator begins to work with applicant on proposal: Five months prior to CRC submission.
• Nominations submitted to CRC secretariat.

Selection and Nominations of CRCs

Units who are successful in applying for a CRC allocation are required to design a recruitment strategy with support from the Equity and Accessibility team in Human Resources and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives that includes:

• Training plan for the search committee and all individuals involved in the recruitment process, including how to recognize and combat unconscious, implicit, overt, prejudicial and any other kinds of bias;
• Draft advertisement;
• Search committee members must participate in all stages of the recruitment process;
• Draft evaluation metrics including interview plan and evaluation rubrics; and
• Advertisement strategy to encourage and recruit individuals from the FDGs and the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Recruitment strategies, job advertisement, and evaluation metrics will be reviewed by the Equity and Accessibility team in HR to ensure they are equitable and inclusive. Once finalized, the CRC Review Committee will make a final approval prior to posting or evaluations.

Position Advertisement

Advertisement processes for faculty positions are governed by the WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians CA and will follow best practices outlined by the CRC Secretariat. In addition to advertising requirements outlined in the WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians CA, all CRC advertisements must be/include:

• Publicly advertised though Careers at Laurier, Faculty and Librarian Positions website and Laurier’s CRCP Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website;
• Archived and made publicly available for three years on Laurier’s CRCP Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website;
• Advertised widely including internationally and to professional societies and associations of designated groups;
• Advertised for at least 30 days;
• The department/faculty conducting the process;
• Tier of the CRC;
• The field of research being targeted;
• Encouragement for individuals from the FDGs and the 2SLGBTQ+ community to apply;
• For Tier 2 advertisements, information on the Tier 2 justification process, and not use language that is misleading nor exclusionary regarding eligibility of a Tier 2 Chair (see more information on Chair Position Postings for Tier 2 Chairs);
• A statement that recognizes the legitimate impact of career interruptions (e.g., pregnancy, parental leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate’s level of productivity (research, teaching and service) and an invitation for candidates to address any career interruptions in their application;
• Encouragement for candidates to address career interruptions or special circumstances that may have affected their record of research;
• A self-identification process;
• A statement on the institution’s accommodation policies and provide the contact information of someone who can address requests for accommodations (e.g., to accommodate candidates with hearing impairments, mobility restrictions, etc.);
• Inclusive, unbiased and ungendered language focused only on the qualifications and skills necessary for the job;
• Contact information for who can answer any questions regarding the recruitment process; and
• For internal retention advertisements, a transparency statement indicating that the position is only open to existing Laurier faculty.

Applicant Pool and Short-Listing

The designated Appointment and Promotion Committee will review applications and develop a short list. The applicant pool should reflect the diversity of the total available pool and the short-list should reflect the diversity of the applicant pool. In meeting with the Appointment and Promotion Committee Chair and Equity Rep, the Dean will review the process used so far, including the equity considerations employed. The Dean will choose to either approve the short-list, extend the competition deadline with additional advertising, or take other measures to widen the diversity of applicant pool. Faculty recruitment, including the interview and evaluation processes are outlined in the WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians CA. Specifically:

• As many short-listed candidates as possible should be approved for interview;
• Special care must be taken not to eliminate at the early stages potentially strong candidates from equity deserving groups;
• Fairly consider the impact of career interruptions related to the protected grounds on a potential candidate’s record when assessing research outputs to ensure career interruptions or special circumstances do not disadvantage candidates;
• The interview must be standardized for all candidates; and
• Candidates must be evaluated on their performance during the interview.
• The Appointment and Promotion Committee will recommend the successful candidate to the Dean and CRC Review Committee. Unit support will be finalized with the successful candidate following approval and will be approved by the Dean and the CRC Review Committee. All Laurier CRCs have a reduced teaching load of two courses per year. The incumbent will work with ORS Facilitator to finalize the research proposal and complete all necessary CRC nomination forms. 

CRC Mid-Term Review

The CRC mid-term review assesses cardholder’s research progress based on the general criteria outlined below and provides constructive feedback, guidance, and course correction, as necessary prior to the CRC Renewal Process.

Applications for mid-term review will be reviewed by the CRC Review Committee. All mid-term review materials should be submitted to the CRC Review Committee no later than the sixth month of the third year for Tier II CRC and the fourth year for Tier I CRC.

Applications will be reviewed using the following general criteria (in no particular order):

• Progress of the objectives set out in the original nomination;
• Record of research productivity and external funding;
• Excellence of researcher;
• Excellence of research program;
• Graduate and postdoctoral training record and the potential for future graduate and postdoctoral training;
• Leadership in institutional research initiatives;
• Practices and actions towards Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the research program;
• Institutional priorities.

Career interruptions and personal circumstances will be carefully considered for delays in research productivity.

Excellence remains the principal criteria for the CRCP in assessing CRC nominations. Excellence will not be limited to its traditional sense and non-traditional career paths and metrics of research (e.g., leadership, applied research, etc.) will be taken into account during the review process.

Examples of practices and actions towards EDI in the research program can include but are not limited to: incorporating best practices in EDI into the recruitment of the research team; ensuring accessibility of research outcomes; taking part in EDI training opportunities; establishing procedures/policies for distributing training and development opportunities for team members; and involving communities and collaborators in your research in meaningful, respectful, reciprocal, and active ways. For additional resources and examples please see: New Frontiers in Research Fund, Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research; Laurier’s Research Excellence and Resources website; Laurier’s EDI Inclusive Research Tool on MyLearningSpace; Laurier’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website that includes anti-racism resources; and APC EDI training.

The CRC Review Committee provides the assessment of the mid-term review application in written format to the chairholder and the Dean. If the CRC Review Committee finds that the general criteria are not met then the chairholder will be required to outline a written plan for course correction that must be approved by the Dean and the CRC Review Committee. The chairholder will meet with the CRC Review Committee to discuss potential supports to ensure that the planned course correction can be applied prior to the CRC Renewal Process.

Timeline for CRC Mid-Term Review

· ORS notifies CRC of upcoming mid-term review submission date: six months prior to the mid-term review application deadline.

· Mid-term review application due: the start of the third year for Tier II CRC and the fourth year for Tier I CRC.

· CRC Review Committee reviews the mid-term review application and provides a written assessment to the chairholder and the Dean: within two months of the application submission.

· If a course correction is required, the chairholder will submit a written plan for course correction and meet with the CRC Review Committee: within a month of receiving the written assessment.

CRC Renewal Guidelines

Applications for renewal will be reviewed by the RSC who will provide recommendations to the CRC Review Committee for approval. All renewal application materials should be submitted to the Dean at least 12 months prior to the next CRC submission date.

Proposals for Tier II and Tier I CRC renewals will be adjudicated and ranked using the following general criteria (in no particular order):

• Achievement of the objectives set out in the original nomination and plans for the next term;
• Record of research productivity and external funding;
• Excellence of researcher;
• Excellence of research program;
• Graduate and postdoctoral training record and the potential for future graduate and postdoctoral training;
• Leadership in institutional research initiatives;
• Practices and actions towards Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the research program; and
• Institutional priorities.

Career interruptions and personal circumstances will be carefully considered for delays in research productivity.

Excellence remains the principal criteria for the CRCP in assessing CRC nominations. Excellence will not be limited to its traditional sense and non-traditional career paths and metrics of research (e.g., leadership, applied research, etc.) will be taken into account during the review process.

Examples for practices and actions towards EDI in the research program can include but are not limited to: incorporating best practices in EDI into recruitment of the research team; ensuring accessibility of research outcomes; taking part in EDI training opportunities; establishing procedures/policies for distributing training and development opportunities for team members; and involving communities and collaborators in your research in meaningful, respectful, reciprocal, and active ways. For additional resources and examples please see: New Frontiers in Research Fund, Best Practices in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research; Laurier’s Research Excellence and Resources website; Laurier’s EDI Inclusive Research Tool on MyLearningSpace; Laurier’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website that includes anti-racism resources; and APC EDI training

Continuing or additional unit support will be finalized following approval and will be approved by the CRC Review Committee. If the CRC is approved for renewal by the CRC Review Committee, the incumbent will work with an ORS Facilitator to finalize the research proposal and complete all necessary CRC renewal forms. If the CRC is not approved for renewal, the allocation will be returned to the university for reallocation (see Future Allocations and Vacancies).

Timeline for CRC Renewal Applications

• ORS notifies CRC of upcoming internal and Secretariat submission dates: 18 months prior to CRC submission.
• Internal renewal application due: 12 months prior to CRC submission.
• RSC reviews renewal application and provides recommendations to the CRC Review Committee and the CRC Review Committee approves or rejects renewal application: 10 months prior to CRC submission.
• If approved, ORS Facilitator begins to work with CRC on renewal application: 9 months prior to CRC submission.
• Application submitted to CRC Secretariat.

Criteria for Advancement

When a Tier I CRC becomes vacant, the above-stated management and selection processes and the CRCP recruitment requirements apply for a new nomination. A current Tier II CRC may apply for a vacant Tier I CRC and will be considered with all other applicants under the same criteria and processes outlined above.

Phasing out a Chair

In the event that Laurier loses a chair due to the CRC Secretariat’s reallocation of chairs process, the RSC will review current CRC allocations to determine if there is an unallocated vacant chair to return to the CRC Secretariat. Alternatively, the RSC will review all current CRCs funded by the same tri-agency as the lost chair and provide a recommendation on which chair to phase out to the CRC Review Committee. The recommendation and decision will be based on the same criteria as future allocations and chair vacancies, outlined above, while considering Laurier’s equity, diversity and inclusion objectives.

Process and Safeguards for Determining Level of Support

As outlined in the WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians CA, all CRCs receive protected research time with a reduced teaching load of one course per term (one credit per academic year) allowing an increase in protected time for research. In addition, as specified by the WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians CA, Laurier will provide each faculty member with a furnished office and appropriate laboratory/studio space to ensure that they can effectively carry out their research. A dedicated portion of the CRCP funding is provided to CRCs as a Research Stipend as appropriate to the type and area of their research and approved by the CRC Review Committee. CRC salary stipends are standardized across all units:

• A salary stipend of $10,000 per year for Tier II CRCs; and
• A salary stipend of $20,000 per year for Tier I CRCs.

Negotiated reference salaries are based on internal comparators within disciplines (considering years past PhD and rank) and are recommended and reviewed by Faculty Relations. Nominees are advised to contact WLUFA as a resource during negotiations.

To ensure no inequalities or anomalies are created for faculty salaries, the Laurier-WLUFA Bilateral Committee on Systemic Equal Pay Issues, monitors starting salaries, promotion timelines and merit applications.

Measures to Ensure Career Leaves Do Not Disadvantage CRC Applicants

CRC job postings include a statement that recognize the legitimate impact of career disruptions (e.g. pregnancy, parental, illness, etc.) can have on an applicant’s record of research and that these career interruptions need to be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. Candidates are encouraged to address career interruptions or special circumstances that may have affected their record of research in their application package.

Appointment and Promotion Committee Chairs and one other member of the Committee are required to have in-person training related to EDI, which addresses career interruptions. To ensure career leaves do not disadvantage applicants Committees are instructed to carefully consider career interruptions and additional support is provided by Equity and Accessibility team in HR throughout the recruitment process to ensure career leaves do not disadvantage CRC candidates.

Collection of Equity and Diversity Data

Current WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians CA language for self-disclosure processes are subject to change as the Bilateral University-Association Employment Equity Committee works to make recommendations to change the language on employment equity.

Processes and Strategies for Collecting and Protecting Self-Disclosure Data

Applicant Equity Survey

The current WLUFA Full-Time Faculty and Professional Librarians CA requires that applicants self-disclose for the purposes of employment equity to the Dean, directly via email. Laurier’s current applicant tracking system for recruitment is not configured to administer a self-identification survey for faculty applicants and therefore an applicant equity survey is not conducted (this process is standard for staff recruitment). Without being specifically prompted at the time of application, applicant equity data is currently very limited as very few applicants disclose directly to the Dean. The majority of Laurier’s CRCs come to the university as external hires, where diversity data is mostly unknown.

Strategies for collecting and protecting applicant equity data include:

• As outlined in Goal 3a, the Bilateral University-Association Employment Equity Committee has suggested an alternative “disclosure” method to gain better equity data on the applicant pool;
• As outlined in Goal 2b, the implementation of a new applicant tracking system will allow for a more streamlined and consistent approach to delivering the application equity survey. It will also make information available to the equity representative on an Appointment and Promotions Committee to ensure the applicant pool and short-list are diverse;
• As outlined in Goal 1c and 1f, additional training will be provided to Appointment and Promotion Committee Chairs and Equity Representatives to ensure applicant equity data is used appropriately and privacy considerations are implemented
• As a transitional plan, all CRC advertisements will include an on-line applicant self-identification survey. Applicants who do not complete the survey will also be contacted directly with more information on why the survey is being administered, how the information will be used and with further encouragement to complete the survey.

Employment Equity Survey

Once hired, employees are required to participate in Laurier’s efforts to monitor EDI by completing an employment equity survey. Laurier’s Employment Equity Policy (8.4) states the university must collect and continually update employee data by a process of self-identification in order to identify the proportion of women, persons of a visible minority, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, and persons of a sexual and/or gender minority. The university’s workforce information is collected through an internal self-identification survey for the purpose of determining the levels of representation of each of the five designated groups and to compare these levels with the relevant external workforce (where known) using data provided by HR and Skills Development Canada.

This survey is given to all staff and full-time faculty members during employee on-boarding by HR. Each person must return the survey, even though participation is voluntary and the individual may choose not to respond to the questions in the survey. Each respondent can belong to more than one of the designated groups. Due to increased efforts and follow-up with new employees, return rates are high with 84.5% of surveys returned. Only about 1.5% of those who return the survey choose not to participate.

As outlined in Goal 2a, Laurier has gone through an extensive project to redesign the employment equity survey. The University Employment Equity Advisory Committee’s working groups designed the new survey. These working groups include members from equity deserving groups and their allies. The new survey uses language that those from equity deserving groups use to describe themselves. The intention that is having more reflective language will encourage participation and provide improve data accuracy. Moving the survey online also allows for the survey to be easily updated as identities change (as it could, especially in the category of disability).

Survey Privacy and Protection

The data collected in the applicant and employment equity survey is strongly protected by the following principles of confidentiality:

• The confidential surveys are collected through a secure database which can only be accessed by the Equity and Accessibility unit/HR. The surveys include clear instructions on how the information will be stored, used and published;
• All workforce information is used in accordance with the principles of the Federal Contractors Program. This includes publishing an annual workforce analysis;
• Data of three or less respondents will not be published or shared in accordance with Federal Contractors Program principles;
• The surveys must be completed by the person the survey pertains to and not completed by their manager, hiring committee or others (i.e. identities are not pre-assumed); and
• At the request of the respondent, the surveys can be changed/updated at anytime. 
• The survey tools used to collect data have passed Laurier’s Information Security Policy (Policy 9.4) as Restricted Information.

Strategies to Encourage Self-Identification

In additional to the various strategies listing above, Laurier also includes an employment equity statement on all CRC vacancies:

Diversity and creating a culture of inclusion is a key pillar of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Strategic Academic Plan and is one of Laurier’s core values. Laurier is committed to increasing the diversity of faculty and staff and welcomes applications from candidates who identify as Indigenous, racialized, having disabilities, and from persons of any sexual identities and gender identities. Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programming at Laurier are welcomed to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives at indigenous@wlu.ca. Candidates from other equity deserving groups who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programming at Laurier are welcomed to contact Equity and Accessibility at equity@wlu.ca.

In keeping with Laurier’s best practices in recruitment and in accordance with the Canadian Research Chairs Requirements for Recruitment guidelines, applicants are encouraged to complete the applicant equity survey.

To obtain a copy of this job posting in accessible format or discuss accessibility during the recruitment process, applicants are encourage to contact accessibility@wlu.ca.

In addition to the required employment equity statement, as outlined in Goal 1f, Appointment and Promotion Committees are also encouraged to embed equity considerations throughout the body of the job advertisement and include EDI-related selection criteria in the requirements section (ex. knowledge of inclusive pedagogical practices, commitment to equity education, experience mentoring a diverse group of students). Including this type of information in the job advertisement helps illustrate that Laurier’s commitment to EDI goes beyond a generic, required equity statement.

Retention and Inclusivity

Annual Meeting

To monitor and identify needed supports for CRCs, annual review meetings (completed by Sept. 30 of each year) will be coordinated through the ORS. The annual meeting will be based on the most recent CRC Report submitted to the CRCP on June 30 each year and will be guided by an Interview Instrument (Appendix 1). The meeting will provide CRCs with the opportunity to express concerns outline future development needs and receive mentorship from the ORS as well as others. CRCs will be encouraged to meet with Laurier’s Senior Advisor, EDI if they have any concerns related to EDI; and to review training and educational opportunities available through the Equity and Accessibility Team in Human Resources and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.

Bilateral Committee on Systemic Equal Pay Issues

In addition, Laurier and WLUFA have recently established a Bilateral Committee on Systemic Equal Pay Issues to develop practices aimed at preventing gender and other systemic wage gaps, and to ensure equitable compensation and employment practices. The Bilateral Committee on Systemic Equal Pay Issues will include, among other activities:

• Improving record keeping to facility tracking and data analysis concerning starting salaries, merit pay, retention pay, career development increment adjustments, as well as parental, pregnancy and sick leaves;
• Monitoring starting salaries to ensure no inequities or anomalies are created;
• Promotion timeline monitoring;
• Mentoring female faculty throughout pre-tenure and/or pre-professor years to ensure they are keeping pace with male colleagues;
• Monitoring merit applications to ensure female members are applying in appropriate proportions; and
• The university will re-apply the current gender regression model to faculty salaries every five years to ensure equity between male and female faculty has been maintained.
• Retention

Historically, the university has been successful in retaining its CRCs. Through the monitoring processes outlined above necessary support systems will be identified and provided. As appropriate, support are available to all CRCs though the Senior Advisor, EDI, Office of Dispute Resolution and Support, Human Resources and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. As outlined in Goal 2d, Laurier expects to better understand retention issues through improved data collection and analysis. This may include uncovering system barriers to inclusion that are currently unknown.

Concerns and Complaints

EDI concerns may include complaints, but are also related to questions about the transparency of a process; the efforts to attract a diverse pool of applicants; or how a nomination is in keeping with the institution’s EDI objectives.

University Policies 5.14: Safe Disclosure, 8.4: Employment Equity, 8.7: Employment Accommodation Policy and 6.1: Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination apply to more formal EDI concerns. Any Laurier faculty, staff, student, volunteer, or external persons expressing concerns regarding EDI are encouraged to consult with the Office of Dispute Resolution and Support and/or other sources of support such as the Senior Advisor, EDI, Faculty Colleagues, EDI, Women’s Faculty Colleagues, their Deans, Human Resources and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. The Office of Dispute Resolution and Support and/or the additional support units noted above will advise and guide any persons expressing concerns on the appropriate processes outlined in the University policies.

Recommendations on improving future processes to mitigate concerns are encouraged and will be carefully considered. Those with recommendations are encouraged to contact the Office of Research Services as a first point of contact. Such recommendations will be recorded and provided to the CRC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.

Contact Information

Contact information of the individual who can respond to questions or concerns related to equity and diversity is as follows: 

Charity Parr-Vasquez, PhD
Assistant Vice-President Research

Office of Research Services
Wilfrid Laurier University
Alumni Hall, AH231
75 University Ave W.
Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5
E-mail: cparrvasquez@wlu.ca  
Phone: 519.884.0710 x3528

Apply to CRC Positions

Postings for CRC positions that are open to internal applicants only, to both internal and external applicants, or to external applicants only are posted publicly on the Laurier Careers website and on this web page. In the exceptional circumstance where a CRC position is filled without a competition, through the Canada Research Chair Program Emergency Retention  mechanism, the university will post a statement on this web page that details: the intention to nominate an individual using the emergency retention mechanism; the justification explaining why the emergency retention mechanism is being used (while not disclosing the nominee’s personal information); confirmation that the university’s equity and diversity targets have been taken into consideration in the decision; the name and contact information of the senior level university official who has approved the decision; and the name and contact information of a university representative who can respond to questions or concerns regarding the nomination.

Open CRC Positions

Canada Research Chair (SSHRC) Tier 2 in Workplace Well-being

Archived Notices

• Emergency Retention Notice July 23, 2020 (archived)

Archived CRC Positions

• Archived CRC Advertisements External
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Innovation and Inclusion in Education (External)
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Business Analytics in Supply Chain (External)
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Indigenous Histories and Historical Practice in Canada (External)
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Remote Sensing of Environmental Change (External)
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Corporate Governance (External) 
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Wildlife Biology (External)

• Archived CRC Advertisements Internal

  • Canada Research Chair (SSHRC) Tier II in Psychology of Just, Inclusive and Sustainable Futures (internal)
  • Canada Research Chair (SSHRC) Tier II in Northern Sustainable Food Systems (Internal)
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Advanced Analytics in Supply Chain (Internal)
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Organizational Leadership (Internal)
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Global Adversity and Well-Being (Internal)
  • Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Social Inequalities and Pathways to Wellbeing for Marginalized Populations (Internal)

Additional Information

• Canada Research Chairs Program Representation Statistics
• Population-Based Institutional Equity Targets 2021-29
• Canada Research Chair Equity Target Data
• Canada Research Chair Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Practices
• Laurier’s CRCP Utilization
• Canada Research Chair Applicant Self-Identification Survey Example
• New Canada Research Chair Application Example
• Canada Research Chair Renewal Application Example
• 2018/19 Annual Action Plan Public Report
• 2019/20 Annual Action Plan Public Report
• 2020/21 Annual Action Plan Public Report
• Canada Research Chairs Program: Equity Target Setting Exercise (2021-2029)

Appendix 1: Thematic Interview Instrument for Yearly Meetings between Research Facilitators and CRCs [Preliminary Instrument]

Comparative Lens

• Over the last year, what have been the main challenges you have faced in building your research team?
• Do you feel well equipped with infrastructure to conduct your research? Probe further if CRC says yes.
• Over the last year what have been your greatest success and how has Laurier contributed to these successes?
• Do you feel sufficiently supported as a CRC within Laurier?

Environmental Lens

• Do you feel a sense of belonging at Laurier?
• Probe: Faculty level, departmental level, working with students, working with the larger staff body?
• What has been your sense of the experience of the FDGs and 2SLGBTQ+ community at Laurier?
• Do you feel that any of these aspects of your life makes Laurier a challenging place to work? If yes, explain for each one that applies.
• Probe the following: gender, sex, age, race, culture, disability
• What has your experience been collaborating with your colleagues at Laurier?
• Do you feel supported by your colleagues at Laurier?
• Probe the following: Faculty level, department, departmental level.

Employment Systems Lens

• What is your general sense of hiring practices at Laurier?
• Probe fairness and diversity
• What are some of the challenges to incorporating EDI in your research team development?
• Have you managed to consistently hire and manage a diverse teams? Probe for more explanation.
• Does diversity, equity and inclusion matter to you in research? Why?

Appendix 2: Count Yourself In: Laurier’s Employment Equity Survey

All information collected is kept strictly confidential and secure.

Employment Equity and Use of Equity Information

Employment Equity is designed to remove systemic discrimination that has traditionally disadvantaged particular groups of workers, specifically the four federally designated groups: women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons and racialized persons. In addition, persons who belong to sexual and/or gender minority groups also face barriers to employment and though they are not federally designated groups, Laurier includes these groups in its proactive Employment Equity practices.

For the purposes of Employment Equity, it is critical that we understand Laurier’s current workforce. The data collected through this survey is used to inform equity practices in order to create and foster an inclusive workplace, and to create employment systems that support the workforce as a whole. The collected information is compared to local and national census data in order to better understand how Laurier’s internal community reflects or does not reflect the external available labour pool and is used for planning purposes to enhance equity across Laurier. More information on Laurier's Employment Equity initiatives can be found on Connect.

About the Survey

This survey is provided to all full-time faculty and full-time and part-time continuing and limited term staff at Laurier and will take approximately three minutes to complete. It is mandatory for you to submit your survey with your Employee I.D. Number when prompted, however responding to questions is voluntary.

Confidentiality

This survey tool has passed a Privacy and Security Impact Assessment and is approved for Type 3 data (sensitive data). Survey responses will be kept strictly confidential. This information will be linked to your employment data (e.g. National Occupational Code, unit and employee group) via your Employee I.D. Number for reporting purposes. Reported data will be anonymized for Employment Equity purposes as is evident in the annual Employment Equity Report. A small number of Employment Equity and HRIS staff will have access to your data. Your managers, administrators and other HR staff will not be privy responses without your knowledge and voluntary consent.

Need Help? Should you require any assistance, please contact Dana Lavoie, Employment Equity & AODA Officer with the Diversity & Equity Office at dlavoie@wlu.ca or at extension 4469. If you wish to update your survey, you are able to do so online at any time.

Definitions and Additional Information

• Gender Identity: Gender identity is each person’s internal and individual experience of gender. A person’s gender identity may be the same as or different from their birth-assigned sex (adapted from the Ontario Human Rights Commission).
• Sexual Orientation: Sexual orientation is the direction of one’s sexual interest or attraction and is a personal characteristic that forms part of who you are (adapted from the Ontario Human Rights Commission).
• Indigenous (Aboriginal) Peoples: An Indigenous person in Canada is a person who identifies with First Nation (Status/Non-Status), Metis, or Inuit (as recognized in the Constitution Act, 1982) cultural and/or ancestral background (provided by Laurier’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives).
• Persons with a Disability: “Persons with a disability” may include persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, psychiatric, sensory or learning disability (adapted from the Federal Contractors Program).
• Racialized Persons (Visible Minority): The term “racialized person” means a person, other than an Indigenous/Aboriginal person, who self-identifies as non-Caucasian in racial origin or non-white in colour.  Members of ethnic or national groups such as Portuguese, Italian, Greek, etc., are not considered racially visible (adapted from the Federal Contractors Program).

Employment Equity Survey – Please Complete

Employees must complete this section.

Your response to the Employment Equity Survey is kept strictly confidential. It is mandatory for your to submit a survey to the Diversity and Equity Office with your Employee I.D. Number, however responding to the questions is voluntary.

Employee I.D. Number:

Please read each question and select all options that refer to you. A person can belong to more than one group.

☐ I do not wish to participate in this survey

Do you self-identify as (choose all that apply):

☐ Woman

☐ Man

☐ Trans

☐ Transgender

☐ Gender variant

☐ Gender queer

☐ Two-Spirit

☐ Another gender, please specify: ______________

☐ I prefer not to answer

Do you self-identify as a person who is lesbian, gay, bisexual/pansexual, queer, two-spirit or a similar term?

☐ Yes

☐ No

☐ I prefer not to answer

If yes, please click all that apply:

☐ Lesbian

☐ Gay

☐ Bisexual/Pansexual

☐ Queer

☐ Another, please specify: ____________________

☐ I prefer not to answer

Do you consider yourself to be an Indigenous person in Canada?

☐ Yes

☐ No

☐ I prefer not to answer

If yes, please click all that apply:

☐ First Nation

☐ Inuit

☐ Metis

☐ I prefer not to answer

Do you consider yourself to be a person with a disability?

☐ Yes

☐ No

☐ I prefer not to answer

If yes, please click all that apply:

☐ Pain-related

☐ Flexibility

☐ Mobility

☐ Mental health-related

☐ Dexterity

☐ Hearing

☐ Seeing

☐ Learning

☐ Memory

☐ Developmental

☐ Another, please specify: _________________

☐ I prefer not to answer

Do you consider yourself to be a member of a racialized/visible minority group?

☐ Yes

☐ No

☐ I prefer not to answer

If yes, please click all that apply:

☐ East Asian (i.e. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese)

☐ South Asian (i.e. Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Afghani, Burmese)

☐ South East Asian (i.e. Vietnamese, Malaysian, Filipino)

☐ Asian, Other background

☐ Black African (i.e. Ghanaian, Kenyan, Somalian)

☐ Black Caribbean (i.e. Jamaican, Bahamian )

☐ Black American

☐ Black Canadian  

☐ Black, Other background

☐ Indo-Caribbean (i.e. Guyanese with origins in India)

☐ Latin American (i.e. Argentinian, Mexican, Nicaraguan)

☐ Middle Eastern and North African (i.e. Egyptian, Iranian, Israeli, Palestinian, Saudi Arabian, Turkish)

☐ Mixed Race

☐ Another, please specify: _______________________

☐ I prefer not to answer

From time to time, the Diversity & Equity Office receives specific requests for participation of designated group members in various university initiatives, programs/services and committee work.  Do you consent to having the Diversity & Equity Office contact you regarding your possible interest in participating in any of these initiatives?

☐ Yes 

☐ No

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.

Appendix 3 Laurier's CRC Utilization Spreadsheet

Last updated: September 2024

Flex moves used

• Move SSHRC 102755 to NSERC 102756
• Split SSHRC 100472 to SSHRC 100473 and 102435
• Move SSHRC 102337 to NSERC 102338

Appendix 4 Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Reports

• 2018/19 Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Report
• 2019/20 Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Report
• 2020/21 Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Report
• 2021/22 Canada Research Chairs Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Public Report

Appendix 5 Canada Research Chairs Program Equity Target Setting Exercise 

• Canada Research Chairs Program: Equity Target Setting Exercise (2021-2029)

Additional Information: Requirements of the 2019 Addendum to the 2006 Canadian Human Rights Settlement Agreement

• 2019 Addendum to the 2006 Canadian Human Rights Settlement Agreement
• Canada Research Chair’s Statistics page
• Requirements for Recruiting and Nominating Canada Research Chairs