Despite overwhelming opposition the PC government passed legislation that could enable the university accreditation of controversial evangelical leader Charles McVety's Canada Christian College.
The third reading passage of Bill 213 by a vote of 52-35 at Queen's Park followed tremendous pushback to the notion of CCC granting lucrative arts and science degrees, with many people pointing to McVety's history of bigoted remarks and others questioning the credibility of the Whitby-based college.
The vote represents a personal victory for McVety, who has long been on the outside of political influence at Queen's Park, and a symbolic one for social conservatives, who saw Premier Doug Ford as a PC leader who could deliver gains that the right-wing faction prioritized. Ford accepted the endorsement of McVety, a friend and ally, during the 2018 PC leadership contest. McVety was a special guest of the premier's at some high-profile events, including a debate and the throne speech.
The post-secondary institution will still go through the Post-secondary Education Quality Assessment Board process, in which independent experts review the institution's application. The process typically takes about five months, which means that given the application PEQAB may reach its conclusion around February.
The PC government, which is already occupied with the pandemic, criticism from the auditor general and passing its 2020 budget bill, sustained significant blowback by standing by McVety and his college on the grounds that respecting the process mattered.
The move was condemned by numerous LGBTQ groups, as McVety has expressed <a href="https://www.cbsc.ca/decisionsarchive/20-0809/20-0809-2142&amp;0910-0383%2B_PD_E.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">homophobic sentiments</a> for which he hasn't apologized. It was also slammed by the <a href="https://www.nccm.ca/mcvety/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">National Council of Canadian Muslims</a>, as McVety has warned that Islam is not so much a religion as a "<a href="https://www.cbsc.ca/decisionsarchive/20-0809/20-0809-2142&amp;0910-0383%2B_PD_E.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hostile takeover</a>" of western values. <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/10/28/professors-blast-doug-fords-tories-over-charles-mcvetys-bid-for-university-status.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University faculty associations</a> questioned the institute's commitment to academic freedom and meeting the standards of an Ontario post-secondary institution. Former premier Kathleen Wynne, who is openly gay, made a <a href="https://twitter.com/Kathleen_Wynne/status/1319800971778838537" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">personal and emotional appeal</a> in question period, calling on the government to stand up to hate and abandon the matter. <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/11/10/ndp-wants-canada-revenue-agency-to-probe-charles-mcvety-colleges-charitable-status.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The NDP</a> and <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/2020/11/23/charles-mcvetys-college-has-questionable-financial-practices-so-why-is-doug-ford-trying-to-give-him-the-gift-of-university-status.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a forensic accountant in a Star report</a> raised financial questions about how CCC operates as a charity, including $860,000 in personal loans from the institution to McVety and his son; the Liberals <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/11/23/house-symbolically-condemns-mcvety-with-lack-of-pc-mpps-in-chamber/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called for the Attorney General to investigate</a> and the NDP appealed to the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/11/10/ndp-wants-canada-revenue-agency-to-probe-charles-mcvety-colleges-charitable-status.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canada Revenue Agency</a>. The NDP also called for Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake to <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/10/28/ndp-call-for-integrity-commissioner-to-examine-mcvety-affair/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">look into the matter</a>, including how McVety knew in advance of filing his PEQAB application the the government would introduce legislation that would benefit the college despite there being no lobbying records. On top of that the NDP also <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2020/11/19/opposition-urges-investigation-of-mcvetys-ties-to-ford-leadership-campaign/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called on Elections Ontario to investigate</a> McVety's alleged material support of Ford's 2018 leadership campaign, without the campaign or CCC registering it. Deputy Premier Christine Elliott indirectly shared misgivings about the legislation when she tried to <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/10/29/leaked-financial-information-on-charles-mcvetys-christian-college-jolts-doug-fords-government.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">distance the PC party from hate whenever it is expressed</a>, although she did not address McVety by name when she did so. The legislature voted to <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/11/23/house-symbolically-condemns-mcvety-with-lack-of-pc-mpps-in-chamber/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">symbolically condemn McVety and his college</a> after 30 PC MPPs made themselves scarce for the items and the majority government lost the issue by two votes.
And through it all, the premier and the PC government stood by McVety and his college.
"Mr. McVety is going through the same process as every single other university in this province," Ford said at an October press conference. "It’s an independent process and we’ll see what happens."
Those words were little consolation to opposition critics who frequently said that the institution represents hate, and that accrediting it would undermine the integrity of Ontario's post-secondary institutions.
NDP anti-racism critic Laura Mae Lindo framed the passage as a full endorsement of McVety's "hateful views."
"By passing this legislation, they are attacking the integrity and credibility of our province’s post-secondary education system, and are sending a message to Ontarians that the Ford government is standing firmly behind McVety’s appalling record of Islamophobia, transphobia and homophobia. Everyone knows this is a shameless political favour for Doug Ford’s friend Charles McVety," she said in a statement.
In question period on Monday, Liberal MPP John Fraser asked the premier to allow his MPPs a free vote.
"Make no mistake: it’s payday at Queen’s Park. Charles McVety is getting a special deal. The premier’s priorities clearly haven’t changed," he said, noting that "when we talk about this, people’s heads are down on their desks," and that 30 members abstained from a vote condemning McVety.
"There are three things that we can do here today: People can vote in support of Bill 213 and Charles McVety, or they can vote against and join us, or they can do what they did on that motion and abstain — do nothing. Doing nothing in this case is the right thing to do," he said. "So I ask the premier once again: will the premier not discipline any of his caucus members who abstain from this vote?"
Ford didn't respond, allowing David Piccini, the parliamentary assistant to the minister of colleges and universities, to take the question.
And while there was a chorus of objections to the section of the omnibus bill that affected CCC, Schedule 2, the government was willing to withdraw Schedule 8 after some social conservatives expressed concern over whether marriage officiants would be compelled to perform gay marriages. The government <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/12/03/pcs-strike-one-schedule-in-bill-213-but-stand-by-mcvetys-college/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">did not offer an explanation</a> for why it withdrew that schedule when asked by QP Briefing last week.
CCC has portrayed itself as a victim of the process. Michael Reardon, the academic dean of the college, <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/11/27/public-makes-case-to-withdraw-mcvety-college-provision-ccc-decries-politicization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> during the committee hearing that the "politicization" of the process and the descriptions of the institution have reduced students to tears. He added that the college has received death threats over the past several weeks.
The government has said it won't proclaim the provision relating to CCC until PEQAB has finished with its review.
Other provisions of the bill mostly focused on red tape reduction of various kinds, which has been a priority of the PC government.

Controversial McVety legislation passes despite chorus of opposition

Read this for free.