Poilievre and the Conservatives are going after DEI again

In a new petition, the party is calling for a return of “merit”

Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada are going after DEI initiatives in what they’re calling a quest to restore “meritocracy.”

The Conservative Party of Canada has launched an online petition calling on Mark Carney’s Liberal government to end its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. It specifically calls out bureaucratic funding, research funding and “ideology” at post-secondary institutions. 

The petition was boosted by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre on social media, writing “End DEI. Restore the merit principle.”

And while this is unlikely to tangibly change anything, all of this political blustering still matters and is worth paying attention to as another example of Poilievre and the Conservatives looking south of the border to get their policy ideas. 

We break down what you need to know.

Senior editor Mel Woods is an English-speaking Vancouver-based writer, editor and audio producer and a former associate editor with HuffPost Canada. A proud prairie queer and ranch dressing expert, their work has also appeared in Vice, Slate, the Tyee, the CBC, the Globe and Mail and the Walrus.

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