Three Canadian universities take steps to

Carleton University in Ottawa has become the

second university in Canada to ban prolife students from forming official campus clubs. On Dec. 5 the Carleton University Student Association (CUSA) voted 25-5 in favour of the motion to ban the prolife club Lifeline. However, a press release issued by the university administration stated that while it respects “CUSA’s independent decision-making process” it added that “The University, however, is not bound by the views or opinions held by Carleton University Students’ Association.” The statement continued, “Student groups, both those recognized by CUSA and those not, have had and will continue to have the opportunity to book space on campus in accordance with Carleton’s existing policies and procedures.” The prolife students will still have to fund the student union that discriminated against them.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is considering legal action against CUSA. The EFC said CUSA’s ban would be a violation of prolife students’ right to freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and peaceful assembly, as protected under the Constitution, EFC told the Ottawa Citizen.

University of Toronto political scientist Randall Hansen told the National Post: “It [the ban] strikes me, though I am thoroughly prochoice myself, as an absolutely ludicrous proposal. The university is the one institution where a range of views should be tolerated. Unfortunately, particularly in Canada, they are only tolerated on the left.” He said that those who claim to support free speech can be “brutally intolerant of anyone who doesn’t support their views.”

On Nov. 28 a group of prolife students at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia lost a vote for recognition as a club. The Students’ Union had refused to ratify the club, even though the group had followed normal application procedure, deciding instead to defer the decision to a vote by the whole student body. The next day about 75-80 students, out of a total campus student body of about 5,000, attended the meeting and voted about two-thirds against the ratification of the club. The

prolife group is considering appealing to the BC Civil Liberties Association.  LifeSiteNews.com