Researcher exposes harms of DEI trainings after colleague’s suicide

Spurred by the suicide of a colleague, a Wilfrid Laurier University professor is aiming to expose the harmful effects of diversity, equity, and inclusion training through his research.

David Haskell, associate professor of digital media and journalism, told The College Fix via a video interview he began noticing “effects that were not particularly positive” resulting from DEI programs at his Ontario university and in the Canadian public school system.

The issue became more personal when a colleague, Toronto school principal Richard Bilkszto, committed suicide in July 2023, he said. The two had worked together on projects to advance parental rights and push back “against critical race theory in education,” Haskell said.