On the week of March 9, 2025, the SUO became the center of a heated controversy after it denied the ratification of the Okanagan Conservative Club. In a leaked email, it was confirmed that the Board of Directors had denied the club’s ratification because of concerns about inclusion and fostering a safe campus environment. Although the Students’ Union is supposed to be a non-partisan organization, they had previously approved the formation of a Young Liberals of Canada club, and the SUO quickly became the centre of a fiery controversy surrounding the decision.
Within the week, the outrage of this verdict spread from campus into the greater community of Kelowna and even drew attention from high-ranking politicians, such as Kelowna-Lake Country Member of Parliament Tracy Gray, and leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, John Rustad. On March 13, Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Lesley Cormack released a statement that acknowledged the SUO as an independent student body. She also stated that the Okanagan Senate Statement on Academic freedom holds that UBC is an inclusive institution that does not endorse restriction of any opinion.
In response, the SUO Board of Directors held an emergency meeting that evening, and the decision was reversed. Since then, people have calmed down about the situation, and the club has already started to host events. It would seem as though everything is back to normal. Yet, the lingering consequences of this dispute are plenty. It has sparked discussions about inclusion, fairness, and the place of politics on campus.
It is entirely expected for people to feel bitter, disappointed, and fearful when things do not go their way and leaders take actions that do not represent their interests. However, it goes without saying that the response on X (formerly Twitter) to the denial of the Okanagan Conservative Club is truly appalling. I could not help but feel nauseated as I scrolled through hundreds of shocking comments spreading misinformation, with some users going so far as to suggest that UBC Okanagan had “banned conservatives” from campus, or suggesting that UBC “isn’t Canadian it’s Chinese.” SUO executives were doxxed and sent death threats. The reaction I witnessed was an unfortunately ironic display of why the club was denied in the first place.
It is somewhat of a comfort to know that many of the people posting online likely have no connection to UBC Okanagan or the Okanagan Conservative Club and its leaders, yet simultaneously horrifying to consider the implications of so many people ganging together with such intense anger.
Regardless of your opinions towards the position of the Conservative Club, they do deserve a space on campus, and I am glad to see that their group was eventually approved. It is vital that we are able to coexist with each other in a respectful and mindful way, regardless of bias. Students who lean to the right deserve just as much of a space to share opinions with one another as left leaning students. On a grander scale, protecting the freedom of expression of others is a vital part of democracy as a whole. With this in mind, it was very satisfying to see other UBC political associations, such as the UBC New Democrats and the Young Liberals of Canada Okanagan, share messages in support of the new club’s ratification.
For many, the word “conservative” may bring to mind images of the January 6th Insurrection or Freedom Convoy blockades. This demographic does exist, and is threatening, but it is entirely unfair to lump in sensible and agreeable conservatives with such caricatures. It does no one any favours and only magnifies division. This is an era of political tension that requires us to be active citizens that take care of each other and our communities, pushing back against the spread of hate and defending each others’ freedoms of association.
It is the combined responsibility of the SUO and the Conservative Club executives to ensure that the club plays a positive role on campus and in the community. A club that promotes conservative events and policies such as low taxes and smaller government is not synonymous with far-right dogma. Both the SUO and the Conservative Club have released statements condemning the outpouring of hatred online, but there must be continuous action on both of their parts to ensure that misleading rhetoric is not infiltrating our community.
In the 2021 federal election, 45.3% of voters in the Kelowna-Lake Country riding voted for the Conservative Party. As a devout supporter of the New Democratic Party and a firm believer in left-wing politics, I know that I do not align with many of the policies and beliefs that many people in Kelowna support, and you may not either. Regardless of this, it is our duty to stand up for the right for citizens to express themselves freely in a way that is respectful, responsible, and truthful. Without upholding such values, we lose the diversity in respectful opinion that upholds and strengthens our democratic systems.
1 Cormack, Lesley. (2025, March 13). “Statement on recent decision made by UBCSUO.” Source Link
2 @BongSim_Psy. 2025. “[Siren emoji] UBC BANS CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS?! [siren emoji] … Is this a free speech issue? Or are universities actively silencing conservatives? #UBC #FreeSpeech #CancelCulture #ConservativeStudents #CampusCensorship #PoliticalBias #WokeUniversities #YoungConservatives #CanadaPolitics” X, March 14, 2025, 4:42 p.m. Link; @DOGE4Canadians. 2025. “UBC isn’t Canadian it’s Chinese. We don’t really have a say what happens there anymore” X, March 13, 2025, 4:15 a.m. Link.
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