Canada has hired dozens of academics from American campuses as the United States cracks down on prestigious educational institutions.
On Thursday, Canada’s Industry Minister Mélanie Joly announced the hiring of 64 scholars at several Canadian universities who will receive support of more than C$500 million (more than $350 million) over eight years.
Forty-eight of the scholars will come from American institutions such as Harvard University, Cornell University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They come from a variety of fields, including medicine, engineering, and climate science.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump’s administration has tightened its grip on a series of elite universities by targeting them and cutting off federal funding. Researchers have also expressed concern about the White House’s increasing power over who receives scientific grants.
This concern is causing confusion as academics at U.S. colleges and universities consider the future of research.
“While some countries are cutting back on research and turning their backs on academic freedom, we are doubling down on science and research,” Jolie said at a press conference at the University of British Columbia (UBC) on Thursday.
Asked if he thought President Trump would see the jobs as an escalation of the trade war, Jolie said the move shows Canada is making its own decisions.
“The U.S. government is making its own decisions, and we are making ours,” Jolly said. “I’m very happy to have such great professors here.”
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Funding for researchers comes from Canada’s Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative, a C$1.7 billion (more than $1.2 billion) initiative to “attract world-leading researchers to Canada.”
The educational institutions that employed the professors celebrated the move in a series of statements.
UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Benoît-Antoine Bacon, who hired nine of the researchers, said the university is “delighted to welcome these nine outstanding researchers. Their work will have an important and meaningful impact.”
“This important government support is helping Canada build an outstanding research infrastructure in an uncertain international climate,” said Melanie Uddin, president of the University of Toronto, who said six researchers will serve as presidents at the University of Toronto.
Some researchers say concerns about academic freedom in the United States played a role in the decision.
Philip Zamor, an RNA biology researcher at the University of Massachusetts, told NPR affiliate WBUR that he decided to leave the university after experiencing hiring problems.
“You can’t do the best jobs in America,” Zamor said. “We can’t hire great people to help us do that, and we can’t guarantee them a safe environment.”
Ethan Zuckerman, a media scholar who is leaving the University of Massachusetts Amherst to attend McGill University, said in a statement that he sees this as an opportunity to join a team conducting “groundbreaking research.”
“At a time when authoritarianism is on the rise around the world, Canada’s commitment to supporting research that counters commercial and political threats to democracy is sorely needed,” he said.
