Jason Stanley moved from the United States to Canada last September, leaving behind a high-profile position at Yale to take a job at the Munk School of Global Affairs in Toronto.

The fascism researcher said he made the move for one reason: academic freedom.

"That's the only reason. Nobody's coming to Canada for higher wages because you're not getting higher wages. You're getting lower retirement, lower salaries, sometimes more teaching. So it's academic freedom," Stanley said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

"Canada is never going to be able to match the top private universities in the United States in salaries and benefits. It should do as much as it can, but it'll never match them. So what Canada can do is offer freedom of speech, academic freedom and democracy."

Stanley is not alone. Post-secondary associations on both sides of the border report increased interest among American researchers in academic positions north of the 49th parallel.