CAUT has launched a review of the Canada Research Chair program, now in its fifth year.

In addition to surveying academic staff associations across the country on their experiences with the program at their universities, CAUT will be sending a questionnaire to all CRCs to solicit their views.

"We are undertaking this review because we have little confidence in the official five-year review being undertaken on behalf of the CRC secretariat," said Loretta Czernis, president of CAUT.

Noting this major federal initiative in post-secondary education is having a significant impact on Canada's universities, Czernis said questions about how universities developed their strategic plans for the program, how the money is being allocated, and why only 18 per cent of the chairs have gone to women are among the issues that need to be carefully examined before plans are finalized for the next five years of the program.

Czernis also said the program's three-year review "failed to adequately address key issues."

"We have now seen the approach being taken in the five-year review and we have no reason to believe it will be any more adequate. We hope our review and report will be a valuable contribution to the evaluation of this substantial federal initiative."