Memorial University rules out straight white men from applying for tenured jobs

Newfoundland and Labrador school advertises five positions open only to those belonging to employment equity groups

Published Apr 22, 2026  •  Last updated 19 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Photo by Memorial University /Instagram

Straight white males at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador are being excluded from applying for several tenured professor jobs.

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According to five April job postings advertised by the St. John’s university, only current employees and those who identify as members of one or more employment equity groups, including women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, and persons with disabilities, can apply.

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One job post seeks a research chair in musculoskeletal health and genomic map of the Newfoundland and Labrador population, which is a seven-year term that pays $200,000 per year and could be extended another seven years.

“Established in 2000, the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program offers eligible Canadian degree-granting institutions the opportunity to nominate a diverse cadre of outstanding researchers for professorships in areas that will further an institution’s strategic research plan, enabling them to maximize their contributions as centres of research and research training,” the job posting says.

Other research chair positions include community health and substance use, computational biochemistry, artificial intelligence-driven navigation for Arctic and harsh environments, and Indigenous knowledge, youth and digital technology.

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Those positions are for five-year terms and comes with a $100,000 salary and an additional $20,000 annual research stipend. Those professors could have their jobs extended another five years as well.

The federal government is funding the research chair program at approximately $311 million per year for professors to explore further work in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences.

The job postings were first publicized on Monday by independent journalist Chris Brunet.

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‘Committed to employment equity’

“Memorial is committed to employment equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism, and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including: women; people of any sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression; Indigenous Peoples; visible minorities, and racialized people; and people with disabilities,” the job postings say.

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In addition, the province’s lone university says applicants will receive an employment equity survey link via email after submitting their job application.

According to its human resources web page, Memorial is committed to “supporting the creation of a diverse workforce” and “providing community leadership as a progressive and equitable employer.”

Job postings are legal

The job postings are legally allowed, according to the Canadian constitution.

Under equality rights in Section 15, every person is equal under the law but it “does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.”

The university, named as a “living memorial” in 1925 for the large number of men from such a small population in Newfoundland and Labrador killed in action during the First World War, also says it educates more than 17,000 students from over 120 countries.

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