$1.4B of federal grants spent on research about Justin Trudeau’s speeches, Canadian dancefloors, and low-carbon videogames: CTF

The federal government’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) will cost taxpayers $1.4 billion this year, according to the 2026–27 Main Estimates .

And an analysis of federal grant data by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) reveals this money is being spent on ancient temple brewers, Arctic climate comics, low-carbon videogames and Justin Trudeau’s speeches, to name a few of the research topics the government is funding.

The SSHRC is a federal agency that promotes and supports research in the humanities and social sciences through its funding opportunities, and the government says SSHRC-funded research provides “insights on the issues that matter most to Canadians.”

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However, CTF questions how many of the funded topics resonate with Canadians. “Studies about climate comics and the state of Canadian dancefloors don’t sound like studies that matter most to Canadians like the government claims,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF federal director.

“A government that can find $30,987 for temple brewers in ancient Mesopotamia can find savings for Canadian taxpayers,” he adds.

Terrazzano is referring to a study on “struggling temple brewers in sixth century BCE Mesopotamia” by a researcher at University of Toronto and was awarded the sum by the federal government in a February 2026 competition .

Among the other projects mentioned are a Quebec-based study on the “state of the dancefloor in Canada” that was awarded $78,623 in funding, and University of Calgary research on Arctic climate comics that was granted $88,591.

Elsewhere, SSHRC gave a University of Ottawa professor $43,693 to study the “contested meaning” of former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s speeches. The research will analyze 326 Trudeau speeches, tracking how he used terms including “feminist,” “reconciliation,” “protest” and “freedom.”