Queen’s’ commitments to equity are once again under the spotlight as questions arise about the impact of June’s cuts on the university’s most marginalized members. When asked by QCAA for the equity profile of the 16 people laid off last month, Dean Barbara Crow provided the following statement:
Queen’s does not discuss decisions regarding staff and faculty employment, we very much respect our relationship with our employees and, where applicable, their bargaining agents, and we will maintain confidentiality in these matters.
With respect to workforce matters, the university complies with all regulatory and contractual requirements.
We would have hoped for a higher standard than mere “compliance” from an institution that prides itself on its transformational commitments.
While QCAA was unable to obtain precise data about the patterning of the layoffs, or about the much larger number of contract staff (estimated at 80+) who have not been renewed, conversations with current and former employees suggest that in Arts and Science Online (ASO) alone, over 90% of those laid off are women, and that those now without jobs include a disproportionate number of disabled, trans, queer, and racialized workers.
These approximations align with the literature on employment equity, which documents how employees from underrepresented groups are most vulnerable to layoffs during periods of austerity, in part because they have the least seniority and job security and in part because their work is less valued by their employers. The same analysis applies to the dozens of staff on temporary contracts who have not been and will not be renewed.
Restructuring is unfolding in a context in which Queen’s is already struggling to meet its equity goals. A QCAA member who is researching the equity impacts of austerity at Queen’s shared the following snapshot with QCAA:1
| Queen’s University | Women | Racialized Persons | Indigenous Peoples | Persons with Disabilities | 2SLGBTQI+ Persons |
| General Staff | 68.8% | 13.9% | 2.5% | 8.5% | 7.8% |
| Executives | 45.7% | 12.9% | * | * | * |
| Cann. Workforce | 48.2% | 26.8% | 4.2% | 9.1.% | |
| Most under represented rankings | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Gaps (Workforce Analysis) | N/A | -289 | -41 | -20 |
This data, which was recorded in February 2024, reveals that women are over-represented amongst general staff and under-represented amongst Queen’s executives, and that racialized persons are the most underrepresented staff group, followed by Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities. The document goes on to explain that to fill these gaps, Queen’s needs to hire 289 staff members who identify as racialized, 41 staff members who identify as Indigenous, and 20 staff members who identify as person(s) with disabilities. To what extent are these mandates being taken into account as workers are shown the door?
Remember that last month’s layoffs were just one step in a series of rolling terminations and non-renewals that have resulted in an approximately 30% cut to FAS’s departmental workforce and an unknown but significant cut to central FAS staff and staff in other faculties. More layoffs are expected in FAS in the coming academic year.
Based on the available data, we can assume that at least two-thirds of the cuts will be targeted at women workers at the lower ends of the pay scale and approximately one-sixth at racialized and Indigenous people, largely women, who are similarly situated in terms of income. In this environment, Queen’s seems unlikely to move forward with its equity goals.
The university likes to pride itself on its equity and diversity initiatives, with Principal Patrick Deane making Queen’s standing in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals a strategic priority in his second term. The goals on which Queen’s is assessed include: SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; SDG 10 Reduce inequality within and among countries; and SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. In a recent media release announcing Queen’s 8th place standing, Deane noted:
These rankings give us an incredible opportunity to realize the scale of universities’ impact around the world….They also tell us that, even with the significant progress we continue to make in advancing the SDGs, there is still more work we can do as a sector to address the world’s most urgent challenges and make a tangible difference.2
More to do indeed.
It is difficult to square these self-congratulatory statements with the realities of austerity at Queen’s, where the gap between EDII platitudes and the working environment for staff on the frontlines grows ever larger.
If you have a story to share about the equity impacts of restructuring and layoffs, QCAA invites you to share it here.
1 Queen’s Data as of February 2024, ICOUNT Equity Census. * Numbers less than 5 are marked with an asterisk. Ranking and Gaps: Compared to the Canadian Workforce Population, Census 2021.
2 https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/2024-impact-rankings
Queen's Coalition Against Austerity 