Sarah Dotzert, co-founder of the group Unify Action, and her father received indefinite trespass notices after a March 6th incident in a public campus parking lot.

Her father, while dropping her off, asked nearby Muslim students their views on the war in Iran. The brief exchange was civil and involved no aggression. Ms. Dotzert was standing nearby and did not participate.

Students reportedly found the discussion unwelcome, photographed her, and reported it. Campus security traced the vehicle and issued lifetime bans, referencing the “tone and intent” as unwelcome. The notice warns of potential charges under the Trespass to Property Act.

Ms. Dotzert argues the ban violates her Charter rights to expression and peaceful assembly on a publicly funded university. Universities exist to advance knowledge through open debate, including uncomfortable ideas. The Charter guarantees every Canadian fundamental freedoms of thought, belief, opinion, expression, and peaceful assembly. Subjective claims of ‘discomfort’, without evidence or clear violation, should not justify permanent exclusion from public institutions.

This incident reflects a wider trend in Canadian law aimed at stifling free speech.

Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, has removed long-standing religious defence for hate speech, introducing a formal definition of hatred, strengthening penalties for hate-motivated crimes, and creating new offences for obstructing access to places of worship or displaying certain symbols. Civil liberties groups and faith communities warn that broader definitions risk chilling religious speech, political discussion, and open inquiry.

Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, will regulate platforms and AI services for “harmful content” including material that “foments hatred,” creating a Digital Safety Commission with powers to compel content removal, enabling subjective government oversight of lawful expression.

These measures, along with the overreaching actions of institutions, erode the free exchange of ideas

Canadians deserve institutions and laws that robustly uphold, rather than restrict, our Charter-protected freedoms.