Toronto Metropolitan University has announced the establishment of a new task force dedicated to addressing campus expression and antisemitism following the release of an external review that found the institution had “too often failed to apply” its own policies “consistently and decisively.” The newly formed body is tasked with developing a formal response to the report’s recommendations, which include a push to better protect Jewish students and staff from a “deteriorating campus climate.”
The review was commissioned in November 2025 by TMU, following a security incident last September, during a Dais Democracy Forum event. The event, hosted by the Dais, a public policy and leadership think tank at TMU, was intended to feature a discussion on artificial intelligence with federal minister Evan Solomon.
Retired Ontario Justice Mary Lou Benotto was appointed as an independent expert to lead the investigation into the security response, campus safety policies, and the broader campus environment after the event was forced to a halt.
According to the findings of the review, the event was “repeatedly disrupted by a coordinated protest involving members of SJP-TMU [Students for Justice in Palestine – Toronto Metropolitan University].”
The report noted that protesters interrupted speakers so they could not engage in the planned dialogue and directed epithets such as “war criminal,” “baby killer,” and “murderer” at specific audience members.
The investigation also scrutinized the disruption of an off-campus student event held in November 2025, planned by Students Supporting Israel (SSI). The event was effectively blocked when the university administration denied the gathering, following a formal risk assessment process characterized by early administrative tension and significant information gaps.
The review noted that campus events featuring Israeli soldiers or discussions on the Israeli military have previously become flashpoints for violence, with one such incident resulting in five arrests as protesters and attendees clashed.
It concluded that both the September and November incidents were “symptoms of a deteriorating campus climate,” which, “absent decisive institutional action, are likely to recur,” according to findings highlighted in public statements.
The review found that while TMU already possessed policies capable of addressing much of the conduct it examined, it “too often failed to apply them consistently and decisively.” The absence of clear enforcement, combined with ambiguity around free expression and protest, contributed to escalating tensions and a perception that disruption carries few consequences.
TMU establishes task force on campus expression, antisemitism and safety
Following the report’s release last Friday, TMU President Mohamed Lachemi announced the establishment of the President’s Implementation Task Force on Campus Expression, Antisemitism and Community Safety. Led by prominent diplomat and lawyer Bob Rae, the task force includes a broad representation of the university community, such as faculty members, administrative leadership, and representatives from diverse academic disciplines.
The task force has been directed to carefully consider and respond to every recommendation within the Benotto report, with a primary objective of producing a comprehensive implementation blueprint for the university by March 2027. Providing a summary of the task force’s mandate, Rae stated that addressing “campus life, earning student trust, and freedom of expression” remained critical priorities for the institution, adding that the task force will work to translate these “meaningful conversations into action.”
Weighing in on the university's announcement, B'nai Brith Canada's Chief Executive Officer Simon Wolle issued a statement to The Jerusalem Post declaring: "It is no surprise to many in the Jewish community that, as Justice Benotto's external review makes clear, TMU is failing its Jewish students and faculty. There are policies in place that TMU refused to implement that could have been used to respond to the unprecedented crisis of extremism and antisemitism on campus during the past three years."
"B'nai Brith welcomes the report's findings but urges TMU to implement Justice Benotto's recommendations immediately. Jewish students must not be forced to endure another year of threats and harassment on campus. A special Task Force is insufficient unless it is able to implement the steps contained in the report. Such implementation must include clarifying the demarcation between freedom of expression and protest on campus, protected and essential precepts in our democracy, and violent, hateful extremism, as we have observed at TMU on multiple occasions since 2023," Wolle added.
Furthermore, Wolle emphasized: "There must, in addition, be a pathway for the University to follow up with the community on its progress in implementing these recommendations, improving the situation on campus, and protecting Jewish students from harassment and extremist-driven antisemitism."
CIJA criticizes delay in TMU response to antisemitism review
Following the university’s announcement, Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), criticized the timeline for the task force’s recommendations on social media.
Shack posted that TMU’s external review “delivers a stern warning: These ‘symptoms of a deteriorating campus climate, absent decisive institutional action, are likely to recur.’”
Shack noted that “the review also found that TMU already had policies ‘capable of addressing much of the conduct it examined, but too often failed to apply them consistently and decisively.’”
He added that “it is chilling that TMU announced a ‘Task Force’ to ‘consider and respond’ to Justice Benotto’s recommendations with an ‘implementation blueprint’ by March 2027,” asserting that “students should not be expected to wait for another school year to pass without change” and that “TMU must implement Justice Benotto’s recommendations without delay.”