Canada’s 27 largest universities have confirmed that calling for the genocide of Jews violates the schools’ codes of conduct, according to Liberal MP Anthony Housefather.
The announcement comes on the heels of a nationwide request for information about the handling of anti-Semitism on campuses, initiated by a group of five Liberal MPs: Mr. Housefather, David Lametti, Marco Mendicino, Anna Gainey, and Ben Carr. The inquiry was prompted by reports from Jewish students and faculty about rising anti-Semitic incidents.
The information request, which came with a Jan. 20 deadline, was a bid to understand the actions and policies Canadian universities have in place to combat discrimination.
Mr. Lametti said while the “quality of the responses” varied, the vast majority of the universities “provided detailed and comprehensive responses.”
Mr. Mendicino underscored their commitment to addressing anti-Semitism by working cooperatively with educational entities, government bodies, and special appointees like Deborah Lyons, who was recently designated as the Special Envoy on Combating Anti-Semitism and Holocaust Remembrance.
In his response, University of Toronto President Meric S. Gertler acknowledged the significant rise in anti-Semitic incidents within Canada.
“The University of Toronto is staunchly opposed to anti-Semitism,” Mr. Gertler wrote. “We continue to take action to combat it, and to ensure that our campuses are places where Jewish members of our community feel safe, included, and respected.”
The university has also pointed out its awareness of and dedication to addressing Islamophobia and discrimination against Palestinians and emphasized its commitment to tackling all forms of racism.
University of McGill President H. Deep Saini emphasized the importance of academic freedom and debate on his campus, while admitting there are limits.
“We have consistently insisted that while freedom of expression and assembly, and academic freedom, are given a wide ambit of protection, these are not limitless,” he wrote. “Where speech and protest activities violate the law or our policies, McGill will act.”
University of BC President Benoit-Antoine Bacon detailed the potential consequences of calling for the genocide of the Jewish people, or any other group, which he called “both utterly reprehensible and illegal.”
“Where a breach of the Student Code of Conduct or the Discrimination Policy is found to have occurred, disciplinary outcomes up to and including expulsion or termination of employment may follow,” he wrote. “In addition, complaints regarding criminal hate speech can be directed to the RCMP for criminal investigation and potential prosecution.”
The CIJA described there being a “huge spike” in anti-Semitism following Hamas’s attack on Israel Oct. 7. To combat the rise in anti-Semitism, particularly in educational settings, CIJA has formed a “Legal Rapid Response Team” that aims to address instances of what they refer to as “Jew-hatred” within schools and universities.
Highlighting a perceived failure by educational administrators to adequately protect students, Nanette Rosen and Mark Freiman, who are co-chairs of the legal task force, expressed in their appeal that there has been a shortfall in maintaining safe environments for Jewish students.
This issue is not Canada-specific; Ivy League presidents were put in hot water after their recent equivocality on the issue of calling for Jewish genocide on campus.
In her resignation letter, Ms. Gay expressed that her choice to resign was difficult, stating, “It has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”
Ms. Gay did not accept blame regarding the charges of plagiarism or address the issues related to anti-Semitism and attitudes toward Israel on campus.
