Jamie Sarkonak: B.C. human rights tribunal rules conservatism not a real political view

Simon Fraser University's Surrey, BC campus Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Photo by Jason Payne/PNG

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While B.C.’s human rights code notionally protects people on the basis of political belief, this didn’t help a Simon Fraser University political science professor who was denied a job over his lack of support for DEI. Indeed, the tribunal decided in April not to give the matter a hearing.

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Josh Gordon had taught at the SFU policy school from 2014 to 2021 on various contracts. He applied for a tenure-track position in 2021, but, despite having positive student reviews, a history of teaching in the faculty (contract renewals and pay increases indicated he was performing well) and a point of view that added diversity to the policy school, he was shut down.

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The competition for that job was in 2021. All minds were still on the previous summer’s Black Lives Matter pandemic-flouting demonstrations, riots, and, at SFU, a letter to the school complaining about the unquantifiable force of “systemic racism” and white supremacy, and demanding the integration of DEI into the academy.

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When faculty members gathered to discuss the letter, Gordon took the side of not giving in. His positions? It shouldn’t be assumed that institutions are systemically racist. People should be treated equally. The student letter was part of an ideological agenda.

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Nevertheless, SFU responded to the letter by rhetorically kneeling before the student body and apparently accepting the charge of racism.

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Gordon’s views were no secret to the faculty. Throughout his time there, reads the tribunal decision, “He was open about his views that (for example): not all issues need be informed by a gender based analysis; he was skeptical about the effectiveness of decriminalizing and destigmatizing drug use; and he did not accept that all negative phenomena in Indigenous communities were the product of colonialism.”

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It was in this context that SFU began searching for a new tenure-track assistant professor. According to Gordon’s evidence, his faculty dean, Jane Pulkingham, told him that she was contemplating racial preferences for the job. She ultimately decided against, opting for a DEI-focused posting instead. Applicants had to demonstrate “a commitment to values of equity, diversity, and inclusion,” an ability to “centre diverse perspectives,” and leadership in the public policy areas of “equity, diversity, and inclusion and issues of Indigenous rights and title.” DEI was to make up 10 per cent of a candidate’s score.

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Gordon applied for the job and highlighted his way of including diverse perspectives in the classroom, and ensuring his students are treated equally. He made the shortlist. From there, nine faculty members voted on a ranked ballot to indicate their top choices. Five colleagues ranked Gordon last, so he was eliminated from the running. Faculty leaders acknowledged that he “clearly has significantly more teaching experience than the other candidates” and taught in-demand courses, but that he wasn’t adequately in support of DEI.