An internal audit of the National Research Council (NRC) has uncovered troubling hiring practices that circumvent fairness and transparency, sidelining top Canadian talent.
Over two years, the NRC made at least a dozen “sweetheart appointments” of so-called “top-ranked talent” without posting job vacancies, favouring non-competitive hires in the name of “speed and agility,” as reported by Blacklock’s.
The Audit of Recruitment and Staffing acknowledges the need to attract the “best and brightest” in a competitive global market but warns that bypassing open competition risks undermining trust.
“Circumventing the competitive hiring process should only be considered when candidate availability is extremely limited,” auditors wrote. Yet, the NRC leaned on this tactic 12 times, citing “unique operational requirements” or “urgent needs” without clear justification.
More concerning, the NRC openly prioritized foreign hires, claiming it’s “often not possible to find qualified Canadians” for research roles. In 2021, they even hired consultants to scout international talent, after boasting that Canada had 19 Nobel Laureates, top-tier universities, and $14 billion in annual R&D spending.
Why the rush to look abroad when world-class talent is being cultivated at home?
Hellbound and Down 