The Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy

A diversity of people regardless of their ethnicity, colour, or background is a good thing. But Ibn Warraq critiques multiculturalism, which pretends all cultural beliefs are created equal. See our newest Great Thought in our series released every Thursday.

On April 9, 1917, four Canadian divisions fought together as a single Canadian Corps and took Vimy Ridge. It was a hard-won victory, and it became a unifying moment for a young country. Danny Randell explains what happened and why it still matters to Canada today. Watch: youtube.com/watch?v=CmViQg_K…

Alberta’s Bill 33 signals a return to merit-based hiring in the public sector. But what about corporate Canada? Our study of 25 major Canadian TSX firms found that 96% mandate DEI training (all except Shopify) and 88% use demographic targets for hiring and promotion. Read the full study: aristotlefoundation.org/stud…

Alberta’s Bill 33 is a welcome move toward ending mandatory DEI training across public bodies. Does mandatory diversity training actually deliver on its promises of harmony and tolerance? The evidence says no. A recent Aristotle Foundation Reality Check reviewed the research—including a 2021 meta-analysis of over 400 studies—and concluded that diversity training fails to produce meaningful behavioral change. Prohibiting these mandatory programs is a sensible step forward, though the full impact will depend on the upcoming regulatory details and exceptions. Read the full Reality Check: aristotlefoundation.org/real…

Alberta's Bill 33 would cover public universities and colleges. "When we talk about merit-based practices, we're looking at skills and competence," Justice Minister Mickey Amery said. Our study of academic hiring at 10 public universities, based on 489 job postings, found that nearly one out of every five postings at the University of British Columbia explicitly restricted the job to a particular race, ethnicity, group identity or other inherent trait. Nearly two-thirds of UBC postings required a DEI statement or essay. Read the full study: aristotlefoundation.org/stud…

"Albertans expect public institutions to hire and promote the best qualified people and ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed based on their skills, experience and qualifications," Premier Danielle Smith said as Alberta tabled Bill 33. Alberta’s push for merit-based hiring is a positive development for the public sector. A recent study by the Aristotle Foundation reviewed 301 federal job postings across 59 departments and agencies. It found that DEI language appeared in 95% of postings—and 42% indicated candidates may be prioritized based on identity characteristics rather than pure qualifications. Read the full study here: aristotlefoundation.org/stud…

Alberta has introduced Bill 33 to ensure fairness in public hiring. Removing rigid DEI requirements is a massive step toward true merit-based evaluation in the workplace. The legislation would ban public institutions—including universities, school boards, and municipalities—from using DEI criteria in hiring or mandating DEI training. Our research examines the real-world outcomes of DEI hiring and training across universities, corporate sectors, and government. See the full list of our studies, Reality Checks and commentary: aristotlefoundation.org/rese…

The belief systems of Canadians span the spectrum from devout religious believers to atheists and everyone in-between. But chaplains and prayer have long been part of Remembrance Day ceremonies and for obvious reasons. Aristotle Foundation Senior Fellow Joseph Quesnel explains why that tradition should continue. Read the full article: aristotlefoundation.org/colu…

Unfortunately, this is not unique to Ontario but is spreading across Canada. Efforts to remove certain books from library shelves are often done in the name of equity but ultimately undermine students’ learning and educational development. Dr. Paul W. Bennett, senior fellow with the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy, examines this issue in our new Reality Check. Read more: aristotlefoundation.org/stud…

Dr. J. Edward Les, a Calgary pediatrician and senior fellow with the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy, warns that political efforts to dismantle routine childhood vaccine schedules will drive down immunization rates and invite back preventable, life-threatening diseases. Vaccines train a child's immune system rather than overwhelm it, making evidence-based public health policy vital to protecting children. Read the full column here: aristotlefoundation.org/colu…

Canada’s school libraries have lost their way. Once considered a haven for books and readers, they have shifted over time to become “learning commons” with a focus on technology and collaborative spaces. Paul Bennett explores this shift in his latest study School Libraries in Crisis: Rebuilding book culture for Canadian children. Read more: aristotlefoundation.org/stud…

Where have the school librarians gone? Data show a steady decline since the 1980s in the number of elementary schools employing teacher-librarians. In their place, “library technicians” increasingly focus on digital literacy. In his latest study, School Libraries in Crisis: Rebuilding book culture for Canadian children, Dr. Paul Bennett examines this trend and what it means for school libraries, and how schools can help to remedy this crisis. Read the study: aristotlefoundation.org/stud…

Mark Milke, President of the Aristotle Foundation, joins @StephenLeDrew to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion policies — and whether efforts to correct historical discrimination can create new forms of unfairness. Mark argues that there is an important distinction between equal opportunity and policies that favour or disadvantage people based on race, gender or other characteristics. youtu.be/jKEZXpj2Jps?si=BmqP…

Canada’s school libraries are facing a crisis. The shift from libraries centred on books to “learning commons” focused on technology and collaboration, compounded by aggressive equity-based weeding policies and “culture war” conflicts over book selection, is contributing to a generation increasingly detached from whole books. Read School Libraries in Crisis: Rebuilding book culture for Canadian children by Dr. Paul Bennett to learn more. aristotlefoundation.org/stud…