“These first few months [have resulted] in the Trump administration’s cuts to scientific and medical research, clampdown on any efforts promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), newly aggressive policies for students with loan debt, revoking of visas for international students and more”…. In recent months… [elimination of] programs meant to train scholars and diversify the sciences as part of an effort to root out what the president labels illegal DEI. (Hechinger Report, June 17, 2025)
Orono, Maine (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – There is little doubt that we are living in times of disinformation where the ethics of inclusion and equality are subject to divisive rhetoric. Lacking a clear understanding of the implications of DEI leads to misunderstandings of their implications. As such, this deceptive three-letter acronym elicits praise or vilification?
DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) provides a framework to foster a workplace where individuals are valued, treated fairly, and feel included, regardless of their background. It promotes diversity, addresses inequalities, and encourages a more inclusive environment. Diversity refers to learning to embrace differences in race and ethnicity, or those from poverty-stricken backgrounds. Equity focuses on fairness that provides access to opportunities for all. Inclusion aspires to create a supportive environment where everyone can feel valued and respected.
Recent attacks on DEI in the U.S. criticize educational institutes of higher learning because they include DEI initiatives even though the major purpose of DEI is to help right the wrongs of the past. Some critics assert that DEI “is divisive and fosters discrimination” but what is missing in this view is that DEI is an ideal to strive for, not a fully realized actuality. DEI aspires to be inclusive and to encourage more awareness of those who have suffered from the effects of disabilities or minority status in employment or education.
DEI is a striving for a more equitable society while inspiring its supporters to take corrective action against disparities among marginalized communities, including women and people of color. It is they who have most often faced major barriers to employment and career advancement, so DEI programs address these disparities.
In recent months the Trump administration has demanded that DEI policies be eliminated from institutions that receive federal funding. By targeting DEI, it has set in motion a cascading effect such that a New England higher education institute has had its peace & reconciliation program eliminated while simultaneously discouraging references to DEI.
In Canada DEI has a different history since, over the past few decades it has promoted cultural diversity by way of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, (1988) and policies based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), which provides protections against exclusion based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex or age. In addition, Canada’s Employment Equity Act (1986) addresses workplace diversity relating to women, the Indigenous and those with disabilities.
The U.S. approach is governed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Much of the legal and social focus has been on correcting racial disparities, yet in 2023 “race based affirmative action” was overturned by Supreme Court rulings.
Since Canadians value the importance of social cohesion there is more faith in consensus and an acceptance of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Recent examples include Indigenous reconciliation efforts investigating historical wrongs suffered by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples.
The U.S. places a great deal of emphasis on individualism and freedom of expression resulting in DEI facing resistance when presumed to infringe on individual liberties. This results in politicization, and, in extreme cases, the demonization of DEI, which, with its inclusion and equity measures, are often met with resistance by the Trump Administration.
“DEI,” Digital, Midjourney, 2025
In Canada companies ideally provide supportive surroundings for all employees, including minorities, as well as acknowledging indigenous hiring and training programs. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada included nearly 100 Calls to Action, focusing on employment and education.
In the U.S. a 2024 Pew Research survey, about 52 percent of workers said that “focusing on DEI at work is mainly a good thing” and oppose ending federal DEI policies in education, employment, and housing. But at the same time, “partly in response to Trump’s war on DEI”, many “private corporations have scaled back or ended DEI policies,” as have a number of states which have been shutting down their DEI programs.
But in Canada the contrary is taking place, with 40% of corporations having already adopted DEI policies while 20% more plan on implementing such policies in the near future. A research poll shows that 82% out of many thousands surveyed, approved of equity and fairness, indicating that a high percentage of Canadians are very supportive of DEI policies.
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