OTTAWA -- The Supreme Court of Canada says societies governing the legal profession have the right to deny accreditation to a proposed law school at a Christian university in British Columbia.
In a pair of keenly anticipated decisions today, the high court says law societies in Ontario and British Columbia were entitled to ensure equal access to the bar and prevent harm to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students.
The cases pitted two significant societal values -- freedom of religion and promotion of equality -- against one another.
Trinity Western University, a private post-secondary institution in Langley, B.C., was founded on evangelical Christian principles and requires students to adhere to a covenant allowing sexual intimacy only between a married man and woman.
Law societies governing the legal profession in Ontario and British Columbia say they would not license graduates from Trinity Western because the covenant amounts to discrimination against LGBTQ people.
The Court of Appeal for Ontario had upheld the rejection, while B.C.'s top court sided with the university.