Deep Saini

Hargurdeep Saini (Punjabi: ਹਰਗੁਰਦੀਪ ਸੈਣੀ) is an Indian-Canadian scientist and university administrator. He is the President and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University in Montreal. He previously served as President of Dalhousie University as well as further administrative positions at Canadian and Australian universities.

Early life
He was born in Nawanshahr, Punjab, India.

Career
Hargurdeep Saini was previously the President and Vice-Chancellor of Dalhousie University, a Vice-Chancellor and President of University of Canberra, a vice-president of University of Toronto, and principal of the university's Mississauga campus, and dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. Saini researched plant physiology and served as director general of the Plant Biology Research Institute in Montreal before moving into university administration.

McGill University
On 14 November 2022, it was announced that Deep Saini will step down from his role as president of Dalhousie, effective 31 December 2022, to become Principal (now known as 'President' since December 2023) and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University. One of his first acts was to state that he planned to potentially move some McGill operations out of Quebec for the first time since its founding about 200 years prior in response to French-language geared legislation by the provincial government.

Protest encampments
During an early test of his presidency, McGill saw protest encampments established on the campus during the Hamas-Israeli conflict of 2023-24, which Saini denounced. Three days after the encampment, Saini called upon the police to break up the protest, however the police told him that no crime was being committed. He also called upon the court system to disperse the encampment, and was again told that this would be inappropriate. About this time, a professor at the school stated of Saini that the faculty was "strongly opposed to our university administration's relentless campaign against the students."

The Globe and Mail reported that as of the end of May 2024, Saini continued to push the law enforcement to try and intervene despite them informing him that nothing illegal was occurring. During this time at his previously university, University Affairs wrote that in comparison the president that had come after him (Kim Brooks) had instead decided to take a conciliatory approach and not involve law enforcement at all in response to similar protests on her campus, citing her respect for peaceful protest. Saini has failed to reach a common ground in the negotiations with students on their demands and have repeatedly tried to vilify the protestors and spread unsubstantiated antisemitism accusations. Some Jewish students, as well as Independent Jewish Voices, dismissed the antisemitic accusation as ludicrous and part of a smear campaign against the encampment, citing that there are Jewish students playing a key role in the protest encampment.

On 6 June 2024, Saini requested police intervention to clear the protest occurring in the James administration building. Riot police pepper sprayed, tear-gassed, and used batons and shield against students protesting around the building. 15 student arrests were made for their role in the protest. Saini later thanked the police for their intervention in clearing out the protest.