At York University in north Toronto, the war on free speech continues to rage. Well, at least certain types of free speech.

Case in point: Recently, the York University Student Centre actually banned a Canadian Member of Parliament from speaking at York University!

Garnett Genuis is a member of the Official Opposition, and he wanted to have an informal chat with students about jobs, housing, and the economy.

But Genuis never did get to speak. Why? Well, most likely because he’s a Conservative. And apparently, right-of-centre ideology might be a wee bit too offensive to the hothouse flowers on campus — at least in the opinion of the wonks running the York University Student Centre.

Indeed, the question arises: If Genuis was a member of the NDP or if he was an all-out Marxist, would he be treated in such a fashion by leftist student organizations? We highly doubt it, especially given York University’s history of welcoming radicalized speakers on campus.

Regardless, the crux of the matter is that there’s this obscure document called the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and this charter guarantees the fundamental freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression. Apparently, the York University Student Centre feels that its manifesto supersedes the Charter. That’s equal parts sad and laughable.

And seriously, if an elected representative can be censored on campus, what chance does any student have to speak freely?

In fact, universities should be — and used to be — marketplaces of ideas. Now they seem to be gated free speech zones controlled by politicized unions or administrators — or "student centres."

Reality check: Free speech is not a privilege — it’s a right. Even if the speech in question is deemed to be "offensive."

Rebel News paid a visit to York University on Friday. We wanted to see what the kids on campus had to say about this censorious act. Were they offended? Or are they so indoctrinated that they think banning certain opinions and speakers is perfectly fine? (Spoiler alert: The response, tragically, was about fifty-fifty.)

We also brought along our big, beautiful billboard truck to condemn the censorship on campus. Hopefully, we didn’t offend the rank-and-file of the York University Student Centre. Please sign our petition at www.FreeSpeechTruck.com.

Of note, the executive director of the York University Centre, Jason Goulart (He/Him/His), declined our offer to come on camera to justify the cancellation of the Genuis event. But Goulart (He/Him/His) did provide a written explanation to us via email:

“The event in question was not approved to proceed due to the application of our booking policies and event request procedures and was not politically motivated in any way. Our booking policies are applied equitably to all student clubs and external organizations looking to hold events and promotional tabling in our spaces regardless of content or affiliation. We found that this particular booking simply did not satisfy our requirements. The groups and persons looking to book this event are free to re-apply at any time, subject to our approval and that our requirements are satisfied.

“The organizers of this particular event simply did not provide enough detail for us to adequately assess the type of programming, appropriate channels and venue required. The York Federation of Students (YFS) was not involved in any way, the York University Student Centre (YUSC) administers all YUSC facilities.”

So, the cancellation of Garnett Genuis was some sort of paperwork/procedural issue? Are you buying what Goulart (He/Him/His) is selling? And say, whatever happened to “reasonable accommodation”?

Please sign our petition to support free speech on Canadian university campuses!

352 signatures

Goal: 10,000 signatures

Canadian universities are increasingly allowing activist gatekeepers and bureaucratic policies to silence lawful speech, punish dissent, and block invited speakers. We call on federal and provincial ministers — and university administrators — to strengthen free speech policies, ban viewpoint discrimination, and tie public funding to real, enforceable protections for lawful expression on campus. If you agree, sign the petition now!

Sign Now

Optional email code

Will you sign?

First Name

Last Name

Email

Mobile phone

Send me email updates

I Consent to Receive informational messages & Alerts from Rebel News Network Ltd.. Message frequency varies. Message & data rates may apply. You can reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time.

Country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, the Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth Macedonia, Republic ofNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands

Street address

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State AlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces PacificCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFederated States of MicronesiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarshall IslandsMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPalauPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirgin IslandVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Zip code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City/Suburb

State/territory

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Street 2

City

Postcode

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apartment, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State/region

Postal code

Comments (optional)