Motion to Remove Accreditation From Toronto Metropolitan Law School

"The report of the Honourable Mary Lou Benotto, released August 14, 2026, describes how Jewish students, faculty and staff at TMU [Toronto Metropolitan University] experience hostility 'that crossed into intimidation, dehumanization and antisemitism', abetted by the failure of TMU to 'consistently and decisively enforce its rules intended to prevent such misconduct." 

"According to the Benotto Report, many Jewish TMU community members report feeling unsafe attending classes, that they have to hide their Jewish identities, and that they tell their Jewish friends not to let their kids go to TMU. "

"Simply put, the Benotto Report establishes a prima facie case that TMU has, through its actions [or lack thereof], created a discriminatory environment which discourages Jews from attending TMU, and, by extension, Lincoln Alexander School of Law."

Formal motion to the attention of the Law Society of Ontario 

 

"Why should there be any further delays on taking action on TMU's toxic environment?"

"Why should this fester at an institution that receives government grants?"

"Why should Jewish students continue to be fearful at TMU?"

"Some sort of significant action must be taken now, today, and not delayed by yet another study into what we all know is a cesspit of antisemitism. The Law Society of Ontario has a chance now to make an important statement. We hope it will."

Sam Goldstein, signee of motion to Law Society 

A pedestrian walks past Toronto Metropolitan University signage. (Credit: Peter J. Thompson/National Post files)

 

Ten practising Ontario lawyers sent a motion to the Law Society of Ontario, requesting that the LSO hear the motion whose result could invalidate the practise of law in Ontario by graduates of Toronto Metropolitan University law school. The request cited an investigation conducted by a former Ontario Appeal Court Justice, Mary Lou Benotto in which she validated that TMU has allowed an aura of viral antisemitism to permeate the school. One where Jewish students have been intimidated, harassed and threatened; basically terrorized.

 

According to Justice Benotto's analysis, the university failed to come to grips with the scourge of antisemitic incidents that have characterized the school as a venue for hate expressed against Jews that erupted in the wake of the deadly 7 October Palestinian savage Hamas-led mass terrorist incursion from Gaza into southern Israel. The lawyers have requested that the Law Society accept their motion to be included on the September 16 agenda of its Annual General Meeting. 

 

The response from the Law Society was that the proposed motion had arrived past the given deadline for submission of motions to be included for discussion at its AGM. Which brought the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation in support of the motion, asking lawyers to sign a petition to persuade the Law Society of Ontario to hear the motion nonetheless. And that the Lincoln Alexander School of Law accreditation be withdrawn in recognition of its signal failure to respond to the poisonous atmosphere prevailing there of rampant antisemitism to which they have failed to respond.

 

Students demonstrating for Palestine in front of TMU   The Breach

 

The Law Society of Ontario's own rules are that accreditation of a law school at a university which exercises policies discouraging attendance by students "is contrary to the public interests inconsistent with the Law Society's function to ensure a competent bar and deeply offensive to the public", a signal observation that the motion specifically points out.  

 

There is an undercurrent of outrage stemming from the fact that a task force was commissioned by TMU president and vice-chancellor Mohamed Lachemi, for a followup report on TMU's antisemitism. The resulting task force to be chaired by a former Ontario premier, interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, and recently Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae. 

 

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"What [an employer] should never do is effectively investigate the investigation."

"[Toronto Metropolitan University's response to the Benotto report is] troubling."

"An independent investigation has a purpose. An organization brings in an outsider to determine what happened, where it failed and what should be done."

"The value lies in the investigator's independence."

Labour Lawyer Howard Levitt 

Condone Hamas : Consign Yourself to Lawful Ostracism

"I trust that the first question that we will ask any potential new hire or student from Toronto Metropolitan University is whether or not they signed the letter condoning Hamas."

"They should also be advised that if they lie in response to that question it is grounds for dismissal for cause."

Partner in Toronto law firm Levitt Sheikh

Students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) held a rally on campus in support of Palestine on Friday.  Sammy Kogan/TheEyeopener

 

Job interviews with students from Toronto Metropolitan University are being cancelled -- targeting those students who had been unwise and sufficiently unselective while planning a future in law to sign a clearly antisemitic letter in the guise of an October 20 petition declaring support for "all forms" of Palestinian resistance, while denying Israel's right of existence. In total 74 students at the university's Lincoln Alexander School of Law signed the letter that is now coming back to haunt them.

Those students have identifying names that once disclosed will feature prominently on a Google search. Prospective employers, even to accepting them as articling law students are highly unlikely to be impressed, envisioning how embarrassing it might be for their law firm to hire such impulsive people whose view of justice has been clearly corrupted by their underlying hatred of a minority who also just happen to feature prominently in the law profession.

There has been a frenzy of activity among many of the TMU law students, busy deleting their presence on social media in the hope that they can evade being identified. Their logic is also askew; should they not be clearly identifiable, all of the other law school students stand a risk of being considered to have taken part in this despicable display of anti-Jew hate, preferencing a terrorist group's sadistically gruesome murders to celebrate.

The legal community failed to be impressed when the university responded to criticism, assuring its many critics it plans to commission an investigation, and is committed to following any recommendations that may ensue from such an enquiry into the matter. Workplace investigations do not enjoy a high reputation. They are primarily viewed as time-wasters so that as time goes by the issues will be set aside, forgotten, scandal averted.

Committing to such investigations reveals the scenario of those appointing it, depending on the appearance of having done something about an unpleasant incident, the fallout of which they want no part of, viewing the necessity of distancing themselves from both the event and the responsibility that onlookers attribute to them. The fairly universal acknowledgement that investigators end up writing reports favourable to those who hire their services to ensure they will receive future assignments, relegates their findings to the dustbin.

The students who committed the rash decision to dignify a death cult and in so doing revealing their deep-seated problem of antisemitism have revealed character flaws that in and of themselves reflect a mind unsuited to the practise of law. Should they have been induced to sign the letter, just to have the approval of those they admire and like to be around, it would revealing of a similar lack of character, the incapacity to think logically and respect reality.

Those that join rallies or emphatically state their approval of them when chants of "From the River to the Sea Palestine will be Free" are either unwittingly or knowingly extolling the virtues of the violent overthrow of a legitimate, democratic country. As such proving themselves ineligible to practise law. Particularly in a country where the terrorist group whose brutality they approve of and methods they extol appears on a national federally proscribed terrorist list.

"Our law schools . . . training the next generation of officers of the court, must not tolerate students who publicly justify the most heinous acts of terrorism."

"This hateful screed is antithetical to the rule of law and those who endorsed it must have no future role within our judicial system. We have written to TMU and fully expect it to do the only reasonable thing and expel all signatories to this despicable letter."

Michael Mostyn, B’nai Brith Canada CEO

The renamed Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), formerly known as Ryerson University in Toronto on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette