Highs and lows for freedom on campus

Canada's universities and student unions earned a lot more F's than A's in our latest report.

Canada’s public universities continue to wage war on ideas which challenge ideological orthodoxy, according to the 2013 Campus Freedom Index. Student unions at Ryerson and the University of Toronto have actively censored Men’s Issues Awareness groups, perceived as a threat by some feminists. The University of Victoria Students’ Society has censured campus Catholics for daring to challenge sexual promiscuity with pamphlets entitled “Pure Manhood,” “Pure Womanhood,” and “Pure Love.” Queen’s University tore down a “free speech wall” set up by Students for Liberty, claiming the wall’s content was “offensive” but refusing to provide an example. Queen’s also claimed the wall’s contents “violated university policies” but refused to specify which ones. Carleton is one of several universities to restrict or censor “Greek Letter Organizations” (fraternities and sororities). The student union at St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia censored the poster of a student gaming society for showing an image of a Nintendo Zapper toy gun. At four universities the expression “Israeli Apartheid”, or clubs which use it, have been banned.

Pro-life speech remains the favourite target for censorship. Eleven student unions have stripped pro-life students of their club status in recent years, or have refused to grant club status in the first place, or have placed restrictions on pro-life students that are not imposed on any other campus club.  (more...)

Highs and lows for freedom on campus