Canadian University Statements and University Community Responses Following the Murder of George Floyd

In May 2020, the murder of George Floyd spurred global attention and compelled Canada’s research universities to respond to widespread social unrest. This study employs content analysis and critical discourse analysis to examine how power was integrated into statements issued by Canadian universities in spring and summer 2020. In the first phase, 12 themes were tracked, such as actions the university planned to take; references to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI); racism or anti-Black racism; and the use of emotive language. From these themes, five clusters were identified (Values, Institutional Perspective, Communication Channel, Knowledge Exchange, and Motive). In the second phase, a case study critical discourse analysis of social media reactions to a single university’s statements offers a perspective on its community's sentiment following the release of their statements. The findings reveal significant commonalities across institutional messaging and provide a foundation for analyzing evolving discourse within Canadian post-secondary institutions.