UPDATED from Dec 20 2014 352 5239-73 fri 5491
Bloggers note: TOP TEN WHY's BMO+72 Juggernaut will FALL This is the reason # 9 Trinity Western University
The Top TEN Edict Top TEN WHYs ....#StayTuned #TopTenEdict THIS IS #9
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http://www.donplett.ca/blog.asp?blogID=50
Letter to BMO Executive Vice-President Re: Trinity Western University's Proposed Law School
December 2, 2014
Last week, I wrote a letter to Mr. Simon A. Fish, Executive Vice-President & General Counsel, in response to his submission to the Law Society of Upper Canada.
For reference, his submission can be found here:
http://www.lsuc.on.ca/uploadedFiles/TWUBMOFinancialGroupMarch26.pdf
My response:
November 24, 2014
Mr. Fish,
I was tremendously disappointed to see that BMO Financial Group has taken an intolerant stance on Trinity Western University’s proposed new law school.
While it is no secret that bigoted, ignorant and discriminatory attitudes toward Christianity are accepted and even politically correct in Canada, it disappoints me that your prestigious company would make such a misguided request of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
Your suggestion is that the law society should deny accreditation of the Trinity Western University law students because the school’s "covenant agreement," or code of conduct, does not accept the act of sex outside the traditional definition of marriage, and is thereby discriminatory. The hypocrisy and irony in this claim is profound.
The school does not prohibit gay students, or even non-Christians, from enrolling, and the rule also extends to unmarried heterosexual couples.
As you know, this is not the first time the school has been challenged for its religious values. In 2001, the B.C. College of Teachers was trying to deny accreditation of Trinity Western’s teaching degree because the school insisted upon the same covenant from its students. The court ruled in favour of TWU, because "For better or worse, tolerance of divergent beliefs is a hallmark of a democratic society."
Tony Wilson, an atheist bencher of the B.C. Law Society, voted in favour of Trinity Western University because of his belief in upholding the rule of law, stating: "We cannot cherry-pick the laws we like from the ones we don’t."
I was offended to see that you have referenced "the core values of Canadians," as reasoning for your position. What makes BMO the authority on determining the core value of Canadians? Seeing that nearly 70% of Canadians identify as Christian, I would say that your assessment of the core values of Canadians is not only inappropriate, but blatantly incorrect. What I know for sure is that Canadians value the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which, ironically, you have also referenced to support your position. You may know that guaranteed in our Charter is the right to freedom of religion.
Whether or not it is popular or politically correct to be Christian in 2014, Trinity Western University should still be protected by something called the rule of law. When we have a very clear ruling from the nearly identical leading case on this issue from the Supreme Court, precedent needs to be followed. And also, I tend to believe that our chartered right to freedom of religion should include Christians.
I must say, I find it strange that BMO, as a financial institution, not a legal institution, would be providing advice to Ontario’s law society. With that said, I sincerely hope that this discriminatory attitude does not play a factor in how BMO assesses the suitability of their clients.
I hope that the Law Society of Upper Canada reexamines its intolerant position on the proposed new law school. It is also my hope that BMO will not rush to judgment in the future about an individual or faculty’s ability to learn, teach or practice law based on a preconceived notion of what you believe their religious beliefs represent.
Regards,
The Honourable Donald N. Plett, Senator
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