Thank you for being here today.
Dr. Horsman, you come from Laurier, right in my community. I'm the MP for Kitchener Centre. Welcome. One of my questions will be directed to you.
I'm going to start with a direct quote from a conversation between you and a colleague:
“You should stop talking about EDI,” my colleague suggested to me over lunch. You've got a family, he said. Think about your kids, he implored. I'll admit that my heart rate increased, because it sounded a lot like, “Nice family you got there, would be a shame if you were no longer able to provide for them.”
I have to tell you that my heart is racing right now at the mere thought of having to choose free speech over providing for my family. That, coupled with DEI incentives, fosters an administrative culture that prioritizes securing politically aligned funding over protecting academic and open inquiry. You believe that science thrives when scientists are guided by evidence and motivated by curiosity.
Is the Canadian scientific community thriving right now with the personal and political pressure to conform to these ideologies instead of fostering true democratic free speech in academia?