Law Society of BC votes against TWU
Posted October 30, 2014 6:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LANGLEY (NEWS1130) – Members of the Law Society of British Columbia have voted overwhelmingly against accrediting a Christian university’s law school.
The referendum was called at the end of September by the society’s governors, known as benchers, and was sparked by a community covenant at Trinity Western University in Langley.
That covenant prohibits students and staff from sex outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
The law society says 8,039 of 13,530 eligible voters cast their ballots.
It says 5,951 voted against accrediting the university, while 2,088 voted in favour, sending the issue to a Friday meeting of the governors.
Victoria lawyer Michael Mulligan, whose petition earlier this year forced the issue to a referendum, reiterates why he feels the school’s covenant is so offensive.
“They are free to teach whatever they wish. The problem comes when they wish to go one step further, to discipline and expel people that believe in something else,” he says.
“Same sex marriages are lawful. This school wishes to discipline or expel a lawfully married student who attends there for sleeping with their spouse. In 2014, that’s simply not acceptable.”
The university, for its part, says it believes in diversity and that gay and lesbian students do attend and graduate from the university.
“The University is disappointed with this vote,” says Guy Saffold with the university.
“Trinity Western believes in diversity and the rights of all Canadians to their personal beliefs and values. A person’s ability to study and practise the law should not be restricted by their faith.”
Law societies in Ontario and Nova Scotia have voted against accrediting law students from Trinity, while New Brunswick’s society passed a resolution directing its council not to accredit the law school.
Trinity Western has already started legal proceedings against those law societies.
