Elon Musk calls out UBC job posting limited to equity-seeking groups

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A job posting from the University of British Columbia has caught the attention of Elon Musk.

The billionaire took to X, the social media platform he owns, to question a recent job posting for UBC’s faculty of dentistry.

The department is seeking internal applicants for a “Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Oral Cancer Research.”

Eligible candidates must have a PhD, a proven track record in oral cancer research and excellence in teaching. The selection is also restricted to members of these federally designated groups as part of UBC’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

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“In accordance with UBC’s CRC Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan and pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, the selection will be restricted to members of the following federally designated groups: people with disabilities, Indigenous people, racialized people, women, and people from minoritized gender identity groups,” the posting reads.

A post on X highlighting the restrictions was shared by Concordia professor and occasional National Post contributor Gad Saad, who wrote, in part: “Thank you @UBC for your epistemological courage in fighting against the scourge of White Heterosexual Science.”

“Is this legal in Canada?” Musk then responded.

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The hiring criteria are legal because they comply with Section 42 of the BC Human Rights Code, which allows preferential hiring to address systemic discrimination and underrepresentation of specific groups.

Musk has previously awarded several UBC students for projects focused on carbon removal through the XPrize and Musk Foundation competition.

It’s also not the first time Musk has used his platform to question Canadian policy.

Musk has posted about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a number of times, including stating that “Trudeau is trying to crush free speech in Canada” in response to proposed reforms to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

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In February 2022, Musk also shared a meme comparing Trudeau with Adolf Hitler, in a post that appeared to support truckers protesting vaccine mandates.

Musk deleted the post less than 24 hours later and did not respond to requests for comment.

In March, Musk’s X News account said it would fund legal bills for a Canadian doctor chastised by regulators for her tweets about COVID-19.

The X account wrote that it’s “proud to defend” Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill against what it called “government-supported efforts to cancel her speech.”

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