Politicians speak out after UBCO Conservative club denied official status

A UBC Okanagan student wanted to start an official Conservative Party Club, but the student union denied the application for political reasons and local Conservatives politicians are speaking out. The student who wanted to start the Okanagan Conservative Club, Christian van Mook Smith, applied to get the club ratified as a student association, but the student union's board of directors denied the application.  The student union’s vice president internal Rajat Arora sent an email explaining to the club why the application was denied. “Concerns were raised regarding the political stance of the party your club would represent, rather than the club itself. Specifically, some directors were concerned that certain views associated with the party, particularly those regarding the Black and LGBTQ+ communities could make students from these groups feel excluded or unwelcome,” Arora wrote. Conservative MPs Tracy Gray and Dan Albas along with BC Conservative leader John Rustad took to X.com to denounce the rejection. Rustad went so far as to call the student union “broken.” This is the inevitable result of out of control radical leftist activism in BC’s academia. No woke, activist student council should be allowed to determine which political parties students can join or associate with. UBCO students must be allowed to opt-out of union dues for… https://t.co/IuOy3JIcwg https://t.co/IuOy3JIcwg — John Rustad (@JohnRustad4BC) March 13, 2025 https://twitter.com/JohnRustad4BC/status/1900198454309363899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Albas said that open debates are necessary, especially for young people.  “You would like to think that our next generation of young leaders is ready to take on the world. Debate and engaging in differing points of view are all hallmarks of a healthy democratic society. To see a segment of UBCO students reject diversity of opinion and debate is sad,” Albas said in a post. Gray cited the fact that UBCO has other political clubs like the Young Liberals of Canada Association. READ MORE: ‘Politics is a team sport’: Okanagan Conservative MLAs at odds after one leaves party https://infotel.ca/newsitem/politics-is-a-team-sport-okanagan-conservative-mlas-at-odds-after-one-leaves-party/it108444 “The story coming out from UBCO of a Conservative campus club’s ratification being denied is disturbing. There are other political clubs at UBCO and UBC. Universities should be a place of open discussion of ideas for students, not censorship. I hope this decision is reversed,” Gray said in an X.com post. Smith said the decision is unfair and he hopes the union apologizes. “Our Conservative Club was simply seeking ratification as an official campus club to provide students of a conservative sensibility a place for free and respectful political discourse, as had been provided to other students who support political parties,” he said in an email statement. “It is our hope that the Student Union Okanagan of UBC reverses its decision and apologizes to our members for this unfair treatment... The Okanagan Conservative Club continues to welcome all students who wish to join and support the conservative movement in Canada.” UBCO's principal Lesley Cormack said in a statement that the university supports open debate, but the student union has the power to do as it pleases.  "The UBC Student Union Okanagan is an independent student-led organization with its own elected Board of Directors and governance structures. Through these mechanisms, they can make independent decisions with respect to student club ratification and allocation of student union resources," Cormack said. "At UBCO, we believe that civil discourse and robust debate are not only fundamental to our academic mission but core also to our role in Canadian society as a place of higher learning and understanding of all points of view." The student union is having an emergency meeting to review the Okanagan Conservative Club’s denial at 6 p.m. tonight, March 13. “The Student Union Okanagan remains committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse campus environment where all students feel respected and heard. As a non-partisan organization, we support open dialogue and differing perspectives while ensuring that our values of equity, respect, and student well-being remain at the forefront of all decisions,” the student union’s board of directors wrote in a statement on social media. 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