September Communique

  1. Home
  2. September Communique

September Communique

Federation News

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Our People Will be Healed

September 30 marks the #NationalDayforTruthandReconciliation. To honour and reflect on the day, Federation staff will share in a viewing of Alanis Obomsawin’s film “Our People Will be Healed,” followed by a discussion of the film with Niigaan James Sinclair, an Anishinaabe professor in Native Studies at the University of Manitoba.

Spotlight on @Riksworks

This Orange Shirt Day, our staff will be proudly wearing Orange Shirt pins created by @Riksworks. Explore Rikki Singleton’s work and pick up your own pin!

Don’t miss these upcoming institutional events:

Last chance to nominate candidates for the Governor General’s Innovation Awards

The Federation is invited to nominate outstanding candidates from our community for the 2023 Governor General’s Innovation Awards (GGIA). To recommend an individual candidate or team, members of the Federation can complete this form by September 30.

2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations

The Federation contributed to the 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations by submitting recommendations for supporting French-language research in Canada. The submission expressed that supporting French-language research is essential to building the vibrant, sustainable research ecosystem that Canada needs. Read the letter. 

Just announced: the new Big Thinking podcast

Big Thinking presents an exciting new series featuring some of the most interesting and innovative people in the humanities and social sciences in conversation about their research on important issues of our time. Stay tuned for our big launch later this fall!

Coming soon: the Federation’s pre-budget 2023 submission

The Federation will be submitting a written brief to the Federal government’s Pre-Budget Consultations in advance of the 2023 Budget. Stay tuned - more details on our recommendations will be coming soon!

Save the date: next Member Forum on November 29

Attention, association executives! The next Member Forum will take place online on November 29, and will provide capacity-building opportunities around ensuring financial sustainability and incorporating EDID in governance. Watch your inbox for your invitation coming in October.

Congress News

Congress 2023 Planning Meeting held at York last week

Program Chairs and Local Arrangement Coordinators from 65 scholarly associations joined the hybrid Planning Meeting at York University last week. Both in-person and remote organizers attended, providing everyone with a taste of the new and exciting format Congress 2023 will take.

Improved Congress registration fee categories

Following many valuable conversations with member associations, and in line with its commitment to more equity, the Federation introduced the following registration categories for Congress:

  • Regular attendee
  • Under-employed attendee
  • Student or K-12 educator attendee
  • Retired attendee
  • Unemployed attendee
  • Black or Indigenous attendee
  • Community member

View all the fees on the Federation website

Congress Child and Dependent Care Subsidy program renewed

Last year, the Federation piloted the Virtual Congress Child and Dependent Care Subsidy program, which provided financial support of up to $200 to remote Congress presenters with dependent care responsibilities. For Congress 2023, this program will be available to both in-person and remote presenters. More details coming soon.

York programming sneak peek at Congress 2023

York University is pleased to offer a suite of institution programming in partnership with research hubs in the humanities, arts and social sciences, local surrounding communities, and alumni. This exciting range of events reflects a deepened understanding of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and showcases York’s strengths in interdisciplinary research, community engagement, and the arts. Read more.

HSS Community News

New wave of university programs puts Indigenous knowledge at its core - Canadian post-secondary institutions are taking a range of approaches to incorporating Indigenous perspectives and knowledge into what students today are learning. Read more.

Pilot supplements initiative will offer additional support to Indigenous master’s students – SSHRC and NSERC have launched a pilot supplement opportunity to support First Nations, Inuit and Métis master’s students. The Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative is open to Indigenous students doing master’s level research in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences or humanities. Read more.

Highlights of Acfas’ 100th anniversary programming

  • The fabulous history of science in Quebec – Since 1923, Acfas has played a discreet but fundamental role in the scientific and sociological revolutions of Quebec society. Read more (in French).
  • My thesis in 180 seconds – This contest gives doctoral students the chance to present their research topic in layman’s terms to a broad audience. Each student must make a clear and concise yet convincing presentation of his or her research project in three minutes. Find out more (in French).
  • See science through the other side of the lens, starting with images instead of words. Come and discover two exhibitions of images from scientific research. Take a look (in French).
  • Acfas Gala – Every year, the Acfas Gala provides an opportunity to celebrate research excellence in our society and the francophone world. Tickets available here (in French)!

Dr. Afua Cooper wins Canada's most prestigious award for historical scholarship - The Royal Society of Canada has named Dr. Afua Cooper the winner of its J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal in recognition of her impactful scholarship on Canadian Black history. Read more.

Criticisms of academic freedom miss the mark and risk the integrity of scholarship - In the era of today’s heated culture wars, the concepts of academic freedom and freedom of expression have become increasingly conflated. Read more.

New ‘disconnecting from work’ policies aren’t enough to tackle the problem of work-life balance - Faculty and administration alike are saying that on their own, new “disconnecting from work” policies do nothing to upend the more deeply rooted issues that drive high workloads and burnout. Read more.

Saint Paul University staff move to a four-day work week - Administrative staff at Saint Paul University in Ottawa transitioned to a four-day work week in July, the first step of this kind in Canada’s postsecondary realm. Read more.

Removing author fees can help open access journals make research available to everyone - To make up for lost subscription revenue, many open access journals instead charge author fees to researchers who wish to publish in them. These fees can reach thousands of dollars per article, paid out of publicly funded research grants. Read more.