Two Canadian law societies – secretive committees of lawyers in each province – have decided to blacklist all students from a Christian law school in B.C. called Trinity Western University (TWU), because of that school’s Christian student code of conduct.
None of those students – no matter how smart, no matter how hard-working, no matter how honest – will be allowed to practice law.
It’s anti-Christian bigotry that would be unthinkable if it targeted Black, Jewish, Muslim or gay students.
TWU’s law school is fully accredited, just like the University of Toronto or Osgoode Hall. But because its students live by Christian values, bigots at law societies across Canada have voted to ban its graduates from TWU from practicing law in their provinces.
It’s the modern equivalent of a “No Blacks Allowed” sign on a restaurant in the 1960’s in the Deep South.
Canada's bigoted law societies are bringing back illegal discrimination. 
Treating Christian lawyers as second class citizens is un-Canadian.
Ontario’s law society voted 28 to 21 to ban any TWU students from working. In Nova Scotia, one single bigot was all it took: they voted 10 to 9 to ban these Christian students.
It’s a shocking attack on freedom of religion, that’s clearly contrary to the promise of freedom of religion in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. You’d think law societies would care about that.
Law societies should be stamping out discrimination, not enforcing it.
There is no doubt that these secretive law societies are breaking the law. When anti-Christian bigots at the B.C. teacher’s college tried to do the same thing years ago, the Supreme Court of Canada smacked them down, saying anti-Christian discrimination is unacceptable in a modern society. Apparently these law society bigots think they’re above the law.
It’s bullying at its worst. These anti-Christian extremists in Ontario and Nova Scotia aren’t even punishing TWU. They’re punishing individual law students they haven’t even met yet, simply for choosing to attend a Christian law school.
What’s next? If they can ban lawyers based on the Christian views of their law school, can they ban individual lawyers who believe in Christianity too?
Ironically, these same law societies were up in arms about Quebec’s proposed Charter of Values that would have banned government employees from wearing ostentatious religious symbols, like Sikh turbans or Muslim veils. That idea was defeated in April’s Quebec election. But now the bigots at the law societies want their own Charter of Values – but only targeting Christians. It’s a national disgrace.
There is something deeply wrong when the people who are supposed to be guardians of our civil rights are the ones destroying them. Freedom of religion is so important, our Constitution even calls it a “fundamental freedom”.
Quebec voters rejected the proposed Charter of Values that would ban these religious symbols. Ontario and Nova Scotia lawyers have approved a more draconian anti-Christian charter.
The law societies in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, PEI, Newfoundland and Nunavut know this – they’ve voted to approve graduates from TWU. Not every law society is as bigoted as the ones in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
Sign the petition against anti-Christian bigotry in Canada’s law societies. We’ll send the petition to the hateful bullies in Ontario and Nova Scotia. And we’ll send it to the law societies that have yet to vote, to let them know we’re watching.
This isn’t just about Christian students at TWU. It’s about whether we allow our entire legal system to be hijacked by extremist bigots, who are keeping an illegal enemies list of religions they don’t like.
Related News Stories
The Globe and Mail: I voted for Trinity Western U because of the rule of law by Tony Wilson, Apr 29, 2014
National Post: Maybe TWU’s critics should take a look at U.S. Christian law schools by Jonathan Kay, April 25, 2014
The Cardus Daily: Do Canadian Christians Have the Right to Practice Law? by Albertos Polizogopoulos, Apr 25, 2014
The Globe and Mail: N.S. law society rejects accreditation as long as Trinity Western maintains same-sex covenant by James Bradshaw and Jane Taber, April 25, 2014
The Globe and Mail: Inside Trinity Western’s struggle between faith and equality by Andrea Woo, Mar 4, 2014
The Globe and Mail: Have some faith in Christian law school by John G. Stackhouse, Feb 3, 2014
National Post: Law Deans’ position on Trinity Western would shut every law school in Canada by Barbra Kay, Jan 25, 2013
For more information, please contact:
Amanda Achtman
Topic: Blacklisted students in Canada can’t practice law because of their code of conduct! - No Christians Allowed?
