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QUEEN’S PARK — An NDP motion condemning Doug Ford’s move to give Charles McVety the right to grant university degrees has passed. Every last PC MPP who registered a vote backed the Ford-McVety deal – although many, apparently unable to defend Ford’s choices, chose not to vote.
With a final count of 29 for and 27 against, the legislature passed the motion to “condemn the extreme and hateful invective of Charles McVety and oppose any efforts to make Canada Christian College into an accredited university." McVety has a long history of Islamophobic, transphobic and homophobic hate speech, and is a political backer of Ford’s. Ford and the PCs have circumvented the normal process and are ramming through a bill that gifts Charles McVety the right to call his school a university, and issue degrees in arts and sciences.
“Winning this vote delivers a strong condemnation of the favour-swapping deal Doug Ford and Charles McVety have cooked up, and a powerful condemnation of bigotry,” said Laura Mae Lindo (Kitchener Centre), the NDP’s Anti-Racism critic.
“This was also the chance for PC MPPs to stand up and be counted — to stand against Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia. Not one single PC MPP chose to condemn the hate he spews. It looks like many of them just chose not to vote. Literally, Doug Ford couldn’t line up enough of his own party members to defend his actions.”
Moments after just 27 PC MPPs voted on this motion, 57 of them re-appeared to vote on another matter.
Lindo said the NDP will press hard to ensure the will of the legislature isn’t overridden by Ford, who could plow ahead with his McVety bill, regardless.
Monday morning, the National Council of Canadian Muslims called on PC MPPs to support the NDP motion. McVety’s application for university status has also been strongly opposed by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations and the faculties of several universities.
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