Fed up with Trump’s science squeeze, US researchers flock north to Canada’s open arms

American epidemiologist Sheryl Magzamen has relocated from the United States to Canada due to funding restrictions on her research into climate change and health. Magzamen, formerly of the University of Colorado, is now affiliated with the University of Montreal. She cited the decline of academic freedom in the US as a significant factor in her decision, as multiple grants had been withdrawn from her research area.

The University of Montreal has provided her with ample resources, and Magzamen is currently learning French to integrate into Quebec, Canada's primary French-speaking province.

In response to the departure of US researchers, major Canadian institutions, such as the University Health Network, have publicly expressed their willingness to recruit these experts. Canada's largest hospital group has opened its doors to foreign experts, including US scientists studying vaccines, an area severely impacted by controversial policy changes under President Donald Trump's administration.

Trump has also targeted certain American universities, accusing them of having a left-wing bias and advancing priorities he finds objectionable, including climate science. Canada, which is currently engaged in a costly trade war with the United States, has launched a C$1.7 billion (RM5 billion) 12-year program aimed at recruiting researchers globally.

Industry Minister Melanie Joly emphasized Canada's commitment to science and research during a recent statement, describing the United States as having a "hostile" climate towards science.

Philipp Zamore, a molecular biology professor at the University of Massachusetts, is set to join McGill University in Montreal in April. Zamore expressed his dissatisfaction with the current hostile atmosphere for science in the US, praising Canada for valuing scientific enterprise. Laval University in Quebec City has already hired 15 US researchers during Trump's second term, citing state control over science in the United States as a key factor in their decision.

Canada is not the only country targeting talent from elite US institutions, which have historically been a major engine for global innovation. The European Union has allocated 500 million euros (RM2.36 billion) from 2025 to 2027 to attract US-based researchers, while France announced in May that it has identified 60 foreign scientists, mostly from the US, to recruit.

McGill University's vice-president for research and innovation, Dominique Berube, sees the competition for US talent as a healthy form of competition and an opportunity for Canada to bring in specialists across various fields, including artificial intelligence, medicine, and aerospace.