Current Events > Court Delivers Blow to Free Speech

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://globalnews.ca/news/4057239/danielle-smith-court-delivers-a-blow-to-free-speech/

John Carpay with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has been fighting a battle on behalf of three student groups. Each group is fighting their universitys students union for the right to have club status. Two are pro-life groups, while the other is a mens rights group.

The reason club status is important is because it allows students to participate in clubs week to recruit new members, book rooms for free, advertise events on campus, host speakers and so on.

What possible argument could a students union make for disallowing these clubs? The University of Toronto Mississauga UTM Students for Life were told they were refused because of their stance on abortion.

Speak for the Weak was denied by the Student Association at Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology because allowing the club would violate human rights and constitute systemic societal oppression.

I have never heard of anything so ridiculous. I am pro-choice but I have always had staunchly pro-life friends and family members. It makes for some lively conversations but I dont believe listening to someone make a case for other options for unplanned pregnancies is systemic societal oppression.

The Ryerson Mens Issues Awareness Society is the real headscratcher. The group tries to bring awareness about issues that disproportionately affect boys, such as higher suicide rates, homelessness, workplace injuries and failure in school. It currently has a female president and half of its members are female and why wouldnt it?

As women, we all have grandfathers, fathers, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, sons, nephews and male friends that we care about. If there are issues that disproportionately affect them, we should be talking about it. But Ryersons students union argues that the Women and Trans Collective were already dealing with these issues, and that because men have systemic privilege, a club like this couldnt be allowed because it would harass women and make them feel unsafe.

Id really like to meet the woman who says talking about the fact that men are more likely to be homeless, penniless, living in the rough, begging for food, sleeping in shelters, suffering from PTSD, addiction, mental illness and unable to work makes them as a woman feel harassed and unsafe.

Id like to hear this woman from her privileged position enrolled in a university explain how homeless men have a systemic privilege which makes her feel so oppressed no one should even be allowed to discuss it.

Save a bit of outrage for the next part of the story.

All three cases were heard on Jan. 24 and a decision came down on Feb. 26. The court dismissed the case, despite the fact the student unions have policy statements saying they support free expression and free association. (You can find policy statements from all three students unions by clicking here, here and here.)

Heres the thing: If you only allow speech that you agree with and you only allow association that you agree with, there is nothing free about it.

I suggested to Carpay that this fact alone may point to an error in law that would give him grounds to appeal. He hasnt decided on whether to do that, because he isnt sure it would be successful.

The court said in its decision, in part, that there is no entitlement to union club status and official status has nothing to do with freedom to associate or freedom of expression and that the group lost little, if anything, from not being an official club on campus.

If you cant rely on the courts to uphold your rights to free speech thats a big problem. But an even bigger problem is these mini-dictators on university students unions are the so-called leaders of tomorrow. Thats a thought that makes me feel unsafe.
---

The first amendment doesn't apply to Canada
---

Oh, Canada.

this is not a blow to free speech

fairest of nexts
---

MuffinzwOrned posted...

The first amendment doesn't apply to Canada

This. And even if it was in the U.S. It still wouldn't apply.
---

Canada
---

tldr
---

MuffinzwOrned posted...

The first amendment doesn't apply to Canada

Canada has an equivalent to the first amendment in the constitution, but there are different limitations
---

https://www.jccf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Zettel-et-al.-v.-University-of-Toronto-Mississauga-Students-Union-Feb.-26-2018.pdf

This isn't a suit versus the school, it's a suit versus the Students Union. The Students Union is a private institute, they're allowed to shut down whatever the fuck they don't want. You can't force them to advocate for stances they don't agree with. That's denying their freedom of goddamn speech.

tl
dr

shut the fuck up you alt-righter dumpster people grasping at straws.
---

Who said anything about the First Amendment?

Although, i wouldn't be surprised if TC didn't realize this was about Canada.
---

Minute posted...

https://www.jccf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Zettel-et-al.-v.-University-of-Toronto-Mississauga-Students-Union-Feb.-26-2018.pdf

This isn't a suit versus the school, it's a suit versus the Students Union. The Students Union is a private institute, they're allowed to shut down whatever the fuck they don't want. You can't force them to advocate for stances they don't agree with. That's denying their freedom of goddamn speech.

tl
dr

shut the fuck up you alt-righter dumpster people grasping at straws.

But you better make cakes for gay weddings, dammit!
---

Minute posted...

https://www.jccf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Zettel-et-al.-v.-University-of-Toronto-Mississauga-Students-Union-Feb.-26-2018.pdf

This isn't a suit versus the school, it's a suit versus the Students Union. The Students Union is a private institute, they're allowed to shut down whatever the fuck they don't want. You can't force them to advocate for stances they don't agree with. That's denying their freedom of goddamn speech.

tl
dr

shut the fuck up you alt-righter dumpster people grasping at straws.

Impotent rage like this is why Trump won
---

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Who said anything about the First Amendment?

Although, i wouldn't be surprised if TC didn't realize this was about Canada.

I did. And I merely used the title of the article as my topic title.
---

Minute posted...

https://www.jccf.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Zettel-et-al.-v.-University-of-Toronto-Mississauga-Students-Union-Feb.-26-2018.pdf

This isn't a suit versus the school, it's a suit versus the Students Union. The Students Union is a private institute, they're allowed to shut down whatever the fuck they don't want. You can't force them to advocate for stances they don't agree with. That's denying their freedom of goddamn speech.

tl
dr

shut the fuck up you alt-righter dumpster people grasping at straws.

Alt right? What the hell do pro life and men's rights group have to do with being white supremacists? Or has "alt right" (d)evolved to simply mean "anyone liberals don't like."
---

YourDrunkFather posted...

WrkHrdPlayHrdr posted...

Who said anything about the First Amendment?

Although, i wouldn't be surprised if TC didn't realize this was about Canada.

I did. And I merely used the title of the article as my topic title.

Unless it was changed it says "free speech"

Lots of other countries have free speech without a "first amendment"
---

Two are pro-life groups, while the other is a mens rights group.

fair
---

lol people think that our constitution extends to the rest of the world even now...

I don't understand it.
---