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Carolina Avendano
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University of Alberta Takes a Divergent Path on DEI: Will Other Universities Follow?

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News Analysis

On the first day of 2025, the University of Alberta moved away from the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) model, becoming the first campus in Canada and one of the latest in North America to step back from the framework.

The University of Alberta (U of A) is following a trend already underway in the United States, where several universities have turned away from DEI, citing concerns about freedom of speech, saying the model emphasizes identity over merit, or arguing it leads to preferential treatment—or exclusion—of people based on their race, colour, gender, or national origin.

It was time for the institution to “evolve” by adopting aspirations that “resonate more universally,” U of A president Bill Flanagan said in a Jan. 2 opinion piece in the Edmonton Journal, referring to DEI using the alternate acronym of EDI—putting equity first, followed by diversity and inclusivity.

“For some, the language of EDI has become polarizing, focusing more on what divides us rather than our shared humanity,” he wrote.

It remains to be seen what the change will mean, as the university is still adhering to diversity quotas set by federal initiatives like the Canada Research Chairs program—which requires institutions to meet identity-based equity targets or face funding reductions. However, the U of A is the first to publicly question DEI and, as Flanagan stated in his opinion piece, is “moving forward with a new framework and new language.”

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McDonald’s Says It Will End Some DEI Practices Amid ‘Shifting Legal Landscape’
University of Alberta’s Shift Away From DEI: A Turning Point for Canadian Universities?Flanagan said the decision to move away from the DEI framework came after “extensive consultations” with more than 1,000 community members, one of whom said, according to the consultation report, that DEI initiatives have deviated from their original purpose.
“The EDI movement is unfortunately no longer about equity and diversity in its purest form,” the comment reads. “Instead, EDI has morphed into a political advocacy movement that promotes certain groups deemed oppressed under EDI’s methodology.”

Canadian Universities’ Commitment to DEI

Universities Canada, a non-profit representing 97 universities across the country including the University of Alberta, requires its members to commit to DEI principles.

In 2017, members of Universities Canada publicly committed to championing DEI, leading major institutions to adopt practices like hiring staff from underrepresented groups, defining these principles institutionally, and hosting events to promote them.

In 2019, Universities Canada began conducting a survey every three years to determine the advancement of DEI policies on campuses across the country.

According to its latest survey, published in October 2023 covering the year 2022, the number of institutions implementing inclusive measures has increased since 2019. By 2022, nearly 90 percent of its member universities explicitly referenced DEI in their strategic plan, 83 percent had a DEI action plan already implemented or in development, and 91 percent had a DEI task force or were creating one.
“Indigenizing campuses and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples at universities in Canada” is another core priority for members, Universities Canada says in the survey, noting that while this is a goal in itself, it also intersects with advancing DEI work.

The survey outlined five challenges to advancing DEI on campuses, which Universities Canada says have persisted since 2019. They include attracting or retaining diverse faculty or staff; resource shortage for new DEI initiatives; lack of data on institutional challenges; “deeply embedded patterns of organizational behaviour,” which it said should change; and institutional systems, policies, and governance structures.

“This suggests that these barriers and obstacles are deep-rooted and there is a clear need for them to be addressed for EDI to be successfully embedded at universities,” the survey says.

A US Shift Underway

Last year, several U.S. universities, including Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Michigan, dropped DEI statement requirements for hiring and promotions, with the latter two citing concerns about freedom of expression. As well, some U.S. states, including Alabama, Iowa, and Utah, last year banned DEI offices at public universities, following a trend led by Florida and Texas the previous year.

Similar moves have occurred in the U.S. corporate world. For example, Toyota Motor Corp. told its U.S. employees in an Oct. 3, 2024, memo that it would halt sponsorship of cultural events such as pride parades that fall outside of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce-focused initiatives.
Other companies, including Harley-Davidson, Ford Motors, John Deere, and Lowes have announced similar measures after facing pushback from customers and elected officials.
When President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, he and his appointees are expected to target DEI initiatives. While in office in 2020, Trump signed an executive order to end training ses…

“This unease has grown as these conversations make their way to Canada,” the report said.



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