Overview

• Justice Francesca Marzari dismissed a petition on Sept. 2 challenging the Simon Fraser University Faculty Association’s Gaza-related resolutions.
• The court held the association did not exceed its stated purposes by condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and urging SFU to divest from arms manufacturers.
• Petitioning members argued political advocacy should be limited to individual faculty and confined to the university or region, a position the court rejected.
• The judgment noted prior unchallenged political resolutions by the association, including statements on Pinochet’s regime, abuses in the former Soviet Union, the Trans Mountain pipeline, and climate change.
• Both resolutions were introduced with context on the war’s toll and SFU investments, were vigorously debated by members, and remain in force following the ruling.