Equity, diversity and inclusion in research

Governance

The ÉTS Research and Partnerships Directorate (DRP), which is responsible for the equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) file, has formed an Expanded Committee with members of the faculty, management, support staff and student community.

The Expanded Committee also comprises members of four subcommittees that are responsible for specific actions, including hiring teaching staff, nominating CRC holders, promoting women in engineering and increasing awareness of EDI among the university community.

Expanded EDI Committee

The Expanded Committee holds two official meetings per year, but may also be reconvened periodically, depending on which files are active. It is responsible for monitoring the progress achieved at ÉTS in the area of EDI, and for approving any measures that are introduced at the institutional level, including the EDI Action Plan (PDF, in French).

The composition of the Expanded Committee must respect the principles of diversity. It contains an equal number of men and women, and endeavours to integrate members of under-represented groups and members of the LGBTQ2+ community. Nevertheless, considering the fact that, on the one hand, progress related to EDI is a responsibility that must be shared by all, and on the other hand, persons from under-represented groups, by reason of their inclusion in these groups, are often highly sought after as member of various committees, ÉTS would like to point out that persons who are not members of under-represented groups also have an important role to play in its approach, and are represented on the Expanded Committee.

Finally, every year, the Director of Research and Partnerships presents the EDI progress report and Action Plan, after they are approved by the Expanded EDI Committee, to the ÉTS governing bodies, particularly including the Management Committee and the Board of Directors. 

The ÉTS Faculty Affairs Office (BAP) is responsible for implementing the Action Plan and ensuring the necessary follow-up. The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor, who reports to the BAP, acts as resource person for the Expanded Committee and for the four subcommittees responsible for implementing specific actions. The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor may also respond to questions from the academic community and the public, as required.

Teaching Staff Hiring Committee

The mandate of the subcommittee dedicated to hiring teaching staff is to ensure compliance with the principles of EDI throughout every step of the recruitment process for new teaching staff (professors and lecturers). Among other objectives, it must determine methods for diversifying its candidate pools, developing tools aimed at providing support for faculty members who wish to apply for promotions and developing a process for tracking post-graduate students who have excellent academic records.

For a comprehensive look at the actions/measures for which this Committee is responsible, please consult Appendix D of the EDI Action Plan (PDF, in French).

Committee for Nominating CRC holders

The subcommittee dedicated to nominating CRC holders focuses primarily on enhancing the existing recruitment process for Canada Research Chairs, developing a guide for demystifying the application process and developing support measures for CRC holders.

For a comprehensive look at the actions/measures for which this Committee is responsible, please consult Appendix D of the EDI Action Plan (PDF, in French).

Objectif féminin pluriel Committee

The Objectif Féminin pluriel (objective: increase female representation) subcommittee carries out its work and undertakes activities within the context of the ÉTS Effect institutional workshop. The subcommittee focuses on promoting the positioning of women in engineering by organizing networking activities, conferences and promotional campaigns aimed at encouraging women to join the ÉTS engineering world.

For a comprehensive look at the actions/measures for which this Committee is responsible, please consult Appendix D of the EDI Action Plan (PDF, in French).

Prevention and Resolution of Harassment / EDI (PRH/EDI) Committee

The PRH/EDI subcommittee has a two-pronged mandate:

• Advising the Prevention and Resolution of Harassment Office (PRHO) with respect to the definition and implementation of prevention and monitoring methods required in order to provide the university community with a respectful working, studying and living environment that is free of violence and harassment.
• With a view to promoting a culture of respect that is free of discrimination, this advisory subcommittee adheres to the values of equity, diversity and inclusion. This means that it also has a mandate to educate and raise awareness among the members of the university community with respect to the principles and issues related to EDI.

For a comprehensive look at the actions/measures for which this Committee is responsible, please consult Appendix D of the EDI Action Plan (PDF, in French).

Selection of Canada Research Chair holders

In evaluating applications for CRC holders, ÉTS applies the Requirements for recruiting and nominating Canada Research Chairs, as prescribed by the CRC Secretariat. These requirements ensure that the principles of EDI are respected throughout the CRC recruitment and nomination process. Toward this end, the Equity Officer acts as an observer, monitoring every step of the recruitment process.

View the recruitment process (in French) for Canada Research Chairs at ÉTS, along with the roles of the various stakeholders.

ÉTS also uses criteria and objectives specific to CRC 1 and CRC 2 (in French) to evaluate nominations based on departmental needs, while striving for excellence in teaching and research.

In addition, last March, ÉTS adopted a new selection process for its faculty members under the 2019-2025 collective agreement (in French) for ÉTS professors. This process, set out in Chapter 4 of this document, stipulates the participation of a representative of the BAP, who ensures compliance with the policies, regulations, and principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in employment. In addition, all members of the selection committee must have received prior training on discriminatory hiring bias.

To have access to all the policies and regulations governing the management of human resources at ÉTS, you can consult our Regulatory Framework page.

Management of the CRC Program Allocation at ÉTS

When ÉTS receives a notice of CRC quota to be filled, the Director of the DAPRP and the Dean of Research coordinates with the 5 Chairs of the Engineering Departments to issue external and/or internal calls for nominations to fill available Chairs.

Renewal Nomination Process

In the case of renewing a CRC chairholder, the ÉTS applies the rules set out in the Canada Research Chairs program.

In exceptional cases, where a CRC 1 chairholder is seeking to renew for a third term, or where a chairholder is appointed under the emergency retention mechanism, the ÉTS will then apply the rules and requirements of the program.

Finally, ÉTS plans to review its current Research Chairs Framework Policy (in French) to include the institutional guidelines for CRCs (allocation of Chairs, margin of flexibility, selection process, renewal with a third term for CRC 1, CFI allocation, etc.).

EDI Action Plan for research activities at ÉTS

In September 2019, ÉTS presented its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (PDF, in French) in response to the requirements of the CRC Program, with a view to establishing the necessary means for attaining equity and diversity targets. The Action Plan presents the results of consultations with all of our CRC holders and ÉTS staff with respect to the organizational climate and sense of inclusion. A number of objectives were established in light of these results, and specific actions/measures have been planned.

EDI awareness-raising strategy

Over the last three years, ÉTS has intensified its efforts to raise awareness of EDI principles among all members of its university community. Toward this end, equity is now included in the five foundational values of the 2022-2027 Strategic Action Plan (in French). In addition, the solid commitment shown by senior management at ÉTS toward the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion guarantee enhanced visibility for this issue.

Furthermore, one of the most notable awareness-raising actions undertaken by ÉTS was the training on unconscious bias that management and faculty members undertook in the fall of 2019. A second round of training will take place in the autumn of 2020. In addition, a departmental tour is planned for the spring of 2020 to present the ongoing EDI approach and collect comments. Finally, workshops addressing EDI in research, intended for all teaching personnel, research staff and post-graduate students, took place in June and July 2020. Taking into account the situation related to COVID-19, some of these actions will be postponed to the fall of 2020.

Current and archived postings

Current postings

• Canada Research Chair Position (NSERC, Tier 1)
• Canada Research Chair Position (NSERC, Tier 2)

 Archived postings

• Canada Research Chair Position (NSERC, Tier 2) - 2022
• Canada Excellence Research Chair Position – 2022
• Two Canada Research Chair Positions (NSERC, Tier 1) – 2021

References

• Memory aid: Including equity, diversity and inclusion in the recruitment and training of highly-qualified research personnel (PDF in French)
• Training on gender-neutral writing (PDF in French)
• The Genderbread Person (PDF in French)
• Integrating IDS into university research (PDF in French)

Information videos