National Campus Life Network

This post was written for Carleton Lifeline by ruthlobo. It does not necessarily represent the views of NCLN.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FORMER NATIONAL STUDENT GROUP REP ADVOCATES THE REMOVAL OF PRO-LIFERS FROM CARLETON CAMPUS

Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) former National Deputy Chairperson Shelly Melanson circulated a referendum question to ban pro-lifers on campus.

January 12, 2012. OTTAWA, ON—This week, the former CFS National Deputy Chairperson Shelly Melanson publicized a referendum question to the Carleton University Student’s Association (CUSA) which is creating a firestorm of controversy. The proposed question involves censoring certain groups: “Are you in favour of banning groups such as Lifeline, the Genocide Awareness Project, Campaign for Life Coalition and other organizations that use inaccurate information and violent images to discourage women from exploring all options in the event of pregnancy from Carleton University?”

The question has been added to CUSA’s Write of Referenda for 2012, which indicates that the referenda will be held concurrently with the 2012 General Elections.

“Carleton Lifeline has already been decertified as a university club,” said Taylor Hyatt, co-president of Lifeline. “What this referenda question amounts to is an attempt to not only censor pro-life students, but ostensibly have them evicted from Carleton’s campus.”

Carleton Lifeline was decertified and defunded by CUSA in December of 2010, several months after five pro-life students were arrested on campus by police officers summoned by campus security for attempting to erect a graphic display, the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP: unmaskingchoice.ca/projects/gap).

Former Lifeline president Ruth (Lobo) Shaw, who was arrested at Carleton in 2010, commented, “Carleton University and the student union have already made every attempt to silence students who attempt to have a discussion about abortion. They’ve already handcuffed Carleton students and put them in paddy wagons once. Is Ms. Melanson advocating for this to be standard university procedure when faced with dissenting views?”

Brandon Wallingford, the CUSA Arts and Social Sciences Counciller, decried the question as an infringement upon freedom of speech and noted that pro-life students were not the only group targeted.

“It is disturbing that there are those who wish to ban opposing points of view instead of engaging in the type of mature discussion that universities used to be famous for,” said Wallingford. “Instead, we have individuals showing a callous disregard for the rights of those who disagree with them, as is indicated by their attempt at further censoring and banning other student groups on campus including my club the Firearms Association of Carleton University. These attacks on the rights of Carleton students whether they be pro-life students or students who enjoy sport shooting are disgusting and a violation of their fundamental freedoms of expression and association.”

For more information, contact Carleton Lifeline president Taylor Hyatt at 613-558-2906, or former Lifeline president Ruth (Lobo) Shaw at 403-668-0485.
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This post was written for Carleton Lifeline by ruthlobo. It does not necessarily represent the views of NCLN.

Donation Information

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This post was written for Carleton Lifeline by ruthlobo. It does not necessarily represent the views of NCLN.

JUDICIAL REVIEW OF CUSA

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This post was written for Carleton Lifeline by ruthlobo. It does not necessarily represent the views of NCLN.

Ottawa—After their club status was denied November 15, 2010, Carleton Lifeline has filed a Notice of Application for Judicial Review of the Carleton University Students Association’s (CUSA) decisions and policies.

The clubs status was revoked after CUSA acted on sections 5 and 6 of their Discrimination on Campus Policy. Section 6 reads, “CUSA further affirms that actions such as any campaign, distribution, solicitation, lobbying effort, display, event etc. that seeks to limit or remove a woman’s right to choose her options in the case of pregnancy will not be supported. As such, no CUSA resources, space, recognition or funding will be allocated for the purpose of promoting these actions”.

This section is in direct contravention of CUSA’s Constitution, which declares that CUSA will “promote and assist in maintaining an academic environment free from prejudice, exploitation, abuse or violence on the basis of… political affiliation or belief” (Article 2.1.d).

Carleton Lifeline exhausted the internal appeal mechanisms, culminating in a challenge of the decision and policy in a hearing before the CUSA Constitutional Board. In a meeting that did not follow CUSA’s own protocol, and violated policies, the Constitutional Board unanimously ruled against Carleton Lifeline’s challenge.  On December 16, 2010, the Constitutional Board ruled in favour of the policies and upheld the ban on pro-life groups on campus.

Ruth Lobo, Carleton Lifeline president, stated, “Lifeline deserves to be treated the same way as other clubs. For this reason, we are asking a panel of judges to review CUSA’s decisions and policies. We hoped that we could not have had to proceed this way, but we feel very strongly that we have been treated unjustly”.

Carleton Lifeline sought to have the appeal reheard due to the Constitutional Board’s violation of board rules. However, CUSA refused.

John Mcleod said, “This is overt discrimination. After our club was banned on the basis of our political beliefs were then banned from a fair hearing. The fact that CUSA cannot respect their own policies shows its inability to function as a voice for the student body”.

As a result, the club has filed a Notice of Application for Judicial Review.

For further information, contact Carleton Lifeline at (613)-600-4791, or Carleton Lifeline’s legal counsel, Alberto’s Polizogopoulos at (613)-241-2701.

Read the comments at the Carleton Lifeline website.

This post was written for Carleton Lifeline by ruthlobo. It does not necessarily represent the views of NCLN.

CARLETON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION (CUSA) Denies Students Basic
Rights

NEWS PIECE 1

JANUARY 13th 2011- Following the denial of CUSA to re-certify Carleton
University pro-life club, Lifeline, Ruth Lobo,
President of the group filed a Constitutional Challenge challenging
CUSA’s decision and sections 5 and 6 of its Discrimination on Campus
Policy.  But when CUSA’s Constitutional Board held a Meeting to rule on
Ms. Lobo’s challenge, they refused to allow her legal counsel, Albertos
Polizogopoulos, to speak on her behalf. A copy of the Constitutional
Challenge can be found at www.carletonlifeline.wordpress.com

Ruth Lobo, said, “CUSA’s policies do not prohibit non-students from
speaking at these meetings. They are completely silent on this issue. If
English were my second language, would I be denied the right to have an
interpreter present? When my lawyer speaks, he is speaking as though I was
speaking myself.”

A copy of the relevant CUSA policies can be found at
www.carletonlifeline.wordpress.com.

NEWS PIECE 2

Carleton Lifeline’s Constitutional Challenge was considered
and ruled on by the Constitutional Board on December 16, 2010. At the
meeting, Alex Sirois, CUSA’s President and Chair of the Constitutional
Board, abstained from voting citing a potential conflict of interest. As a
result, however, the Constitutional Board violated their own internal
policies which state that 5 members must vote on the Constitutional
Challenge and that abstentions are not permitted. Since only 4
members of the Board voted on maintaining denial of Carleton Lifeline’s
club status, that makes the decision invalid. Lobo’s lawyer Polizogopoulos
wrote Sirois on January 12, 2011 to point out these issues.

A copy of CUSA’s written response to the Constitutional Challenge can be
viewed at www.carletonlifeline.wordpress.com

All relevant correspondence between Alex Sirois and Carleton Lifeline’s
Lawyer, Albertos Polizogopoulos can be found at
www.carletonlifeline.wordpress.com

For more information please call 613-600-4791 to contact Carleton Lifeline
or 613-241-2701 to contact Albertos Polizogopoulos.

Read the comments at the Carleton Lifeline website.

This post was written for Carleton Lifeline by ruthlobo. It does not necessarily represent the views of NCLN.

STUDENTS’ PRO-LIFE CLUB STATUS REVOKED

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This post was written for Carleton Lifeline by ruthlobo. It does not necessarily represent the views of NCLN.

Emails from Supporters

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This post was written for Carleton Lifeline by ruthlobo. It does not necessarily represent the views of NCLN.

Where: Carleton University Tory 360

When: Monday October 18th

Time: 7 pm

TOPIC: Comparing abortion to other human rights violations

ALL ARE WELCOME

Read the comments at the Carleton Lifeline website.