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The province’s colleges and universities will be required to have a free speech policy in place in the new year.

Stephanie Rea — spokesman for Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Merrilee Fullerton — said the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) will assess each institution’s policy in January to advise the Minister whether it meets the minimum standard.

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The Minister expects all colleges and universities will be in compliance as of Jan. 1, she said.

“The objective of the Ontario Campus Free Speech Policy is to ensure that each publicly-assisted college and university has a strong and clear free speech policy that is consistent across institutions,” Rea said in an email. “The policy will not only protect free speech but ensure that hate speech, discrimination and other illegal forms of speech are not allowed on campus.”

Conservative students have long complained that their voices are being censored on campuses.