The Post editorial board: It's none of the Ontario's Human Rights Commission's business if York cancels classes for Jewish holidays

Canada's human rights commissions are at it again. In a new report, Ontario's HRC finds Toronto's York University guilty of discrimination. It's 34-year standing policy of cancelling classes on the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have been deemed unfair. York initiated the practice because Jewish students -- who number about 6% at York -- would not be able to attend classes on those days. But in recent years some university employees have argued that the practice is unfair to the non-Jewish student majority.

We fully agree. It is wholly nonsensical for York to cancel three full days of classes just because a small minority of students will be unable to attend for religious reasons. Far better to arrange special accommodations for those few students who cannot make it to a lecture or tutorial than shut the university down.

That said, this HRC ruling represents yet another example of a commission overstepping its boundary and bowing to pressure from individuals and organizations more bent on limiting our freedoms than strengthening them. York is governed by intelligent, capable people. Its student body is well represented. Together they are more than capable of resolving issues about when the university should and should not cancel classes than Ontario's overzealous human rights watchdog.