University of Toronto Student Union Barred from Using Membership Fees to Promote Anti-Israel BDS Movement

In February, the University of Toronto’s (U of T) student-run judicial council delivered a significant blow to UT’s Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. U of T has a long history of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel conduct and is associated with the birth of Israel Apartheid Week, which is a week-long series of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel events and speakers on University campuses throughout the world. U of T’s Complaint and Resolution Council for Student Societies (CRCSS) ruled that the Toronto Graduate Student’s Union (UTGSU) BDS Committee violated the graduate student union’s Anti-Discrimination Policy by discriminating based upon nationality. The CRCSS panel informed the UTGSU that they must cease their use of compulsory membership fees in advancing the mission of the anti-Israel BDS campaign.

The UTGSU is the only Canadian student union that imposes mandatory fees on all its members. Members were previously obligated to support the BDS Caucus in furthering their mission of harming the Jewish State, even if this violates their deeply held beliefs.

The CRCSS Panel issued five recommendations that the BDS Caucus is obligated to comply with. These include allowing members to obtain a refund of the BDS Caucus student fee, adapting their Anti-Discrimination Policy to line up with the Ontario Human Rights Code, and altering their policies and regulations in order to prohibit boycotts or discrimination based on nationality. The UTGSU must indicate how they plan on applying these recommendations to their existing policy by March 1st and be fully administered within one year, or they risk denial of access to their mandatory student fees.

The ruling follows a complaint filed by UT graduate student Chaim Katz, backed by B’nai Brith Canada.

This ruling is a major victory for U of T Jewish students and an important first step in eradicating an environment of anti-Semitism and ensuring that Jewish students feel safe and accepted within their institution.