Canadian universities have recruited dozens of foreign scientists and researchers, many of them poached from prestigious U.S. institutions, in the first intake of a program to attract world-leading academics.
The hiring of the 64 new recruits is being funded over eight years by $504 million from the federal government.
All four of the highest-paid Eddie Goldenberg Distinguished Research Chairs, as well as dozens of others, were previously at U.S. institutions, including Harvard and MIT.
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The researchers are being hired by universities across the country, including the University of British Columbia, McGill and the University of Toronto.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, who helped announce the recruits at UBC in Vancouver on Thursday, says “Canada is doubling down” on science at a time when others were turning away from it.
More than $37 million in other funding will support recruitment of 63 “emerging leaders” over the next year.
“Attracting top talent will deliver breakthroughs that improve Canadians’ lives and advance Canada’s position as a global leader in science and innovation,” Joly says in a statement.
The research chairs are named after Eddie Goldenberg, a policy adviser and chief of staff to former prime minister Jean Chrétien.
Goldenberg died last month, and the government says the research chairs were renamed to honour his “decades of leadership that helped strengthen the Canadian research and innovation landscape.”
Why not recruit upcoming Canadian talent and scientists?
I FIND JOLY D U M B, and HIGHLY ANNOYING. SHE EVEN LOOKS D U M B
Does not say if they are real science or.just liberal arts folks.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans have recently had major budget cuts leading to layoffs of scientists. Because of these layoffs, there are research programmes that can no longer continue, including long term monitoring programmes. Why? To help pay for luring accomplished scientists from the US? If more money were given to up-and-coming Canadian scientists, who have taken their education in Canada and stayed in Canada, through more grants for science that they could apply to, perhaps we would have the same kind of recognition and growth that the US has in scientific research. Why are our Canadian research scientists being sacrificed to lure people from outside Canada when some of the grants being offered are not available to Canadians who live in Canada. For countless years US scientific research has had large amounts of money available to them and now their funds have been removed. I welcome the US scientists, but there should be the same offer of grant money given to Canadians who seek research jobs, and there certainly should not be Canadian DFO workers laid off along with whole research programmes removed.
Amazing all the MAGA propagandist trolls loudly decrying this positive news in the comments. But you know full well that if a conservative government did this, they’d be hailing it as the greatest thing ever. Not a left or right issues folks… SMDH.
Great! More scientific knowledge and expertise for Canadians is never a bad thing. Makes sense too: why would any reputable scientists want to work in the US right now, where their current administration actively works against the protection of its citizens’ health?
Pray tell what dire problem,s specifically will they be attempting to resolve in these trying financial Times?
“being funded over eight years by $504 million from the federal government.”
These people won’t be “top talent”, they’ll have purple hair, facial piercings and neck tatts, not to mention very angry. As long as they stay in B.C or ON, I’m good.
We did this a few years ago for Canada’s 150 and it went terribly. One of global researchers we spent millions recruiting, Jonathan Pruitt, was a fraud who then had his PhD and publications revoked while taxpayers were on the hook for the fraud’s for years while it stalled in the court system.
More foreigners!
Of course, the Liberal way!
Marc Carney was quoted as saying he identifies as European by the way.
Elbows up 🤡
A dozen is twelve.
Only to realize (specially for the Americans) that the extra heavy bureaucracy & anti-development policies in combination with a fear-based culture in this country, makes the move a bad decision .
How many CCP military scientists were in the mix ? We know how the Liberals love their CCP operatives.
All the woketards Trump booted the fock out coming to cunada
How many of them are originally from China and plan on spying, as we saw in the Winnipeg lab?
Dave, I understand what you are saying here. Global News probably should have expanded on this story and included more specific and verifiable details, like other news outlets. However, from a big-picture perspective the core takeaway is that this recruitment drive is a positive milestone for Canadian innovation and science. Turning the tables on the “brain drain” to actively poach world-class minds from Ivy League schools and elite institutions like MIT is a significant win. It signals that Canada is successfully leveraging its strengths—such as stable long-term federal funding, research freedom, and a highly collaborative academic environment—to become a primary global destination for innovation.
More anonymous fluff from The Canadian Press
Then you complain about a lack of trust