The Canadian government recently introduced significant changes to immigration policy. Missing from their initiatives is a strategic approach to welcoming and supporting researchers and artists who face threats to their life, liberty or research career in their home countries.
Drawing on the experiences of Scholars at Risk (SAR) programs in Canada and abroad, along with research in Europe, my co-author and I propose three recommendations to scale up and institutionalize efforts to support displaced researchers and artists to ensure Canada remains among the world’s top destinations for talent.
In an era of growing global displacement, there’s an increasing number of people claiming asylum in Canada, which also continues to be a world leader in refugee resettlement.
SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project and Free to Think report both document increasing threats facing researchers and artists around the world.
People do not lose their knowledge and expertise when they cross borders. But they often face structural barriers due to language, precarious immigration status and decreased access to academic funding, libraries, labs, resources and networks.
In response, there are several promising practices to support displaced researchers and artists, both internationally and in Canada.
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Current initiatives in Canada
A patchwork of international programs accessible in Canada exist, like the Scholars at Risk Network. Some offer modest financial fellowships such as the Institute of International Education’s Scholars Rescue Fund and Artist Protection Fund.
On campuses across Canada, SAR committees welcome colleagues displaced by war and persecution. For example, at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, these committees raise funds, co-ordinate academic support and help colleagues navigate immigration policies and settlement services.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Nationally, there are mentoring programs like the Royal Society of Canada’s At-Risk and Displaced Academics and Artist initiative.
These important initiatives open up opportunities for researchers and artists to continue their work in exile. However, many current programs rely on discretionary funding and voluntary labour.
Lack of co-ordination results in duplication of efforts as initiatives are replicated across the country. Researchers who are invited as visiting scholars may also be refused visas.
Current limitations
Visa challenges, in fact, illustrate the limitations in the Canadian government approach, which is siloed across different federal government departments, including Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISEDC) and Employment, Skills and Development Canada (ESDC).
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
This lack of co-ordination is exacerbated by provincial jurisdiction over education policy and shared federal-provincial responsibilities for immigration and science.
Canada’s approach has also been primarily reactive rather than proactive. The current approach does not address systemic challenges, nor create consistent opportunities for all researchers and artists displaced by war and persecution.
We propose three key recommendations to leverage and scale up initiatives for displaced scientists through a co-ordinated, national and multi-sectoral plan.
Recommendation 1
Co-ordinate government-led programs across GAC, IRCC, ISED and ESDC.
We recommend a designated, complementary pathway for scientists, artists and journalists at risk, within the Economic Mobility Pathways Project and/or as a separate program like the Human Rights Defenders resettlement scheme.
This recommendation draws on international experiences, such as the Program for Scientists and Artists in Exile in France and the Philipp Schwartz Initiative in Germany. These programs are entrenched nationally with government funding and accelerated visas and work permits.
Recommendation 2
Launch specific initiatives within national and provincial education and research agencies.
The 2022 Special Response Fund for Trainees (Ukraine) by Canada’s three federal research funding agencies and the Ukrainian Emergency Research Support Program through Research Nova Scotia offer two promising practices that should be scaled up.
We propose expanding such partnerships with education/research agencies to all at-risk researchers of any nationality, similar to programs in Finland and Switzerland.
Such initiatives use existing funding and reporting avenues among various levels of government and universities. They also build on research priorities, programs and collaborations between Canadian researchers and “highly qualified personnel of different nationalities and cultures in the shared pursuit of scientific excellence.”
Recommendation 3
Invest in a sustainable national co-ordination mechanism for campus-based programs.
While SAR Canada does important work, it remains a loose network, with limited funding, organizational sustainability, and sharing of lessons learned.
To date, almost one-third of Canada’s 100 universities are members of SAR Canada, demonstrating strong support across the university system.
A funded national body, such as the Council for At-Risk Academic (CARA) in the United Kingdom or the Bratislava Policy Institute in Slovakia, could better co-ordinate and amplify activities.
A triple win
Our three recommended approaches would mean a triple win for Canada. First, our proposal would establish viable, permanent immigration pathways for displaced scientists and artists, thereby fulfilling our international humanitarian commitments.
Second, our proposed approach would provide Canadian industry, higher education institutions and governments with in-demand skills, knowledge and talent.
Third, it would help preserve knowledge, culture and science for current and future generations.
Norah Vollmer, founding member and co-chair of Carleton University’s Scholars at Risk program, co-authored this article.
