Provincial Priorities Act could hurt Alberta's priorities, says academic

· The Pulse
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An Edmonton political scientist who researches the idea of the 'typical' Albertan said this research, as well as the complexities of academic funding, point to a potential for the United Conservative Party government's Provincial Priorities Act to hurt not only researchers but the provincial economy.

The bill became law in May after being introduced as Bill 18. Jared Wesley, who co-leads the Common Ground project at the University of Alberta, said it appears aimed to place the provincial government between funding agencies with the federal government and academics to apply more Alberta-centric limits to what types of research can and can't happen at universities in the province.

"They want to target the social sciences and humanities researchers, who tend to be more critical of the state," Wesley told Taproot. "But the thing is, these measures are going to go across the board."

Wesley said several nuances to how academic funding works in Canada as compared to the United States and how the province's overall demographic shift means many in Alberta, including those in rural areas, have meaningful connections to post-secondary institutions in 2024. Taking this difference into account, Wesley said the UCP may not fully understand what its law will do.

"It wouldn't be the first time that this government has been shortsighted when it comes to policy implications," he said.

In April, Premier Danielle Smith introduced the reasoning behind the UCP government's Bill 18 to reporters. She suggested it was a way for Alberta to require provincially connected organizations, including universities, school boards, and municipalities, to require provincial approval before they sign a funding agreement with the federal government. "Albertans are uninterested in the virtue signalling from Ottawa and the related strings that come with it," Smith said. "We're interested in our fair share of federal funding to move forward with our priorities — on roads, infrastructure and on housing."

Reaction to the bill was widespread. Students and professors staged protests in Calgary, critics noted the bill in practice could create bureaucratic paralysis, Alberta Municipalities offered its members a cautionary position, and the UCP-appointed president of the U of A, Bill Flanagan, wrote an article openly critical of the bill. Flanagan's post notes there are nearly 1,800 individual funding agreements with the federal government at the U of A alone in 2023.

Wesley said that as the act takes hold (likely in 2025), post-secondary researchers across all disciplines stand to be affected, especially at the U of A. "They're going to affect medical research, research into artificial intelligence, research into not just clean energy, but petroleum engineering, and so on," he said. "It honestly means fewer jobs because, eventually, if the U of A is not pulling in these research dollars then (the university doesn't) need the research administrators, and it has a downward effect (on jobs)."

In an emailed statement, Varun Chandrasekar, press secretary for Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney, told Taproot the government continues working on how the act will be implemented. "Alberta's government is committed to ensuring federal funding aligns with provincial priorities and investments to maximize outcomes for all Albertans," Chandrasekar said. "Advanced Education has been actively engaging post-secondary institutions, in a series of open and informative discussions since spring 2024 to ensure regulations are developed in a way that streamlines approval processes and avoids adding administrative burden to post-secondaries."

A photograph of an older building at the University of Alberta.

Under the UCP government's new Provincial Priorities Act, otherwise known as Bill 18, researchers at the University of Alberta (pictured) who seek funding agreements with the federal government will now have to gain provincial approval for this money to flow. One Edmonton academic suggests the act will not achieve the UCP government's goals. (Mack Male/Flickr)

Wesley explained that academic funding in Canada can confuse those who apply a U.S.-centric view to it, as grant money here does not flow directly to researchers as it can south of the border. Instead, grants here are administered through an institution. He said grant money for social sciences research is predominantly used to pay graduate students and participants in studies, meaning any restrictions will not hurt those at the top.

"A lot of profs aren't really all that worried, because they don't rely on these grants, but it has a huge impact on graduate students," Wesley said. "The only source of income for them is through these research grants, and that's really what worries me and why we're looking for ways to work around potential interception of those funds or blocking of those funds by the provincial government."

It isn't Joe — it's Jane

Wesley is a co-creator of the Common Ground project, which researches demographic data and Albertan perceptions of who an average Albertan is. For Common Ground, those perceptions, established through focus groups that allow participants to draw their typical Albertan, are encapsulated in the idea of "Joe" — who is white, middle-aged, male, rural, blue-collar, and a father.

Wesley said his group's research adds complexity to established, often powerful beliefs about what Joe wants that politicians may work to satisfy, and sees the Provincial Priorities Act as another example of this.

"Joe is kind of (the UCP government's) compass," he said. "What Joe thinks is acceptable, they'll pursue. So the question I've been asking in university circles now is, 'What does Joe think about post-secondary education?' … If Joe's a farmer, then Joe does have respect for post-secondary education because he needs to have either an agri-business degree or some kind of horticultural degree in order to be a successful farmer. These days, he's gone to the University of Saskatchewan or the University of Alberta. And even if he didn't, his kids are now going to university."

Wesley said Common Ground's most recent work, shared in September, suggests Joe is far from the most common person in the province. The research uses demographic data to sort Albertans into the most common types, segmenting based on income, marital status, ethnicity, and other factors. That work suggests the most typical Albertan is actually a Caucasian, blue- or pink-collar, Millennial woman who lives in Calgary and is raising a child as a single mother. The researchers call her "Jane."

Economic ramifications

Wesley said he expects the Provincial Priorities Act to create pain in ways that can hurt Alberta's overall economic health.

"What this is doing is closing off the broader research projects that have better, bigger impacts for society and the economy, including the energy transition, but also keeping petroleum (relevant)," he said. "(Research) folks on the other side of campus in STEM fields are so used to not being the target of this stuff that they don't recognize the danger that lies here. They're going to find out soon enough if these measures are actually put into place."

Chandrasekar, press secretary for Sawhney, said in an email that the work to implement the act is not complete.

"We are working to ensure Alberta's post-secondary institutions maintain access to research and other funding from the federal government, while safeguarding Alberta's interests," Chandrasekar said.

Correction: This story has been updated to note the work on the act is complete, but that work to implement it is not.