The selection process for Ph.D. programs in Canadian universities seems like a joke.

I recently met a student who completed  their  bachelor's and master's degrees while maintaining a position on the dean's list. During the pandemic, this student applied for Ph.D. programs at the University of Toronto, McGill University, and Western University. The student received admission offers with entrance scholarships from all these universities. However, the irony lies in the fact that the student couldn't continue their  studies because they couldn't find a supervisor. Supervisors, who are professors employed at the universities, are funded by the government for their research.

In my opinion, all admitted students should be matched with suitable supervisors by the universities for their PhD programs. These students are highly capable; that's why they were admitted in the first place. I believe the current placement procedure, which requires admitted students to find their own supervisors, is not right. It violates their fundamental rights and grants unnecessary power to the professors, which some may misuse.The aforementioned student managed to find a supervisor in one of these universities. However, at the last minute, that supervisor redirected the student to another professor who couldn't accept them due to a lack of funds. This incident highlights how professors might misuse their authority.

The Ministry of Education should revamp the current PhD selection process to make it fairer for qualified students.