On November 10, a social media post from Dr. David Carr — a professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine at U of T and an emergency physician and clinical investigator at the University Health Network and Mackenzie Health Hospital — came under scrutiny from the Muslim Advisory Council of Canada (MACC)

Since then, students and faculty members at U of T have raised concerns over access to healthcare as Palestinian advocates and the university’s ‘double standard’ in disciplining faculty members for social media conduct. 

The social media post

On November 9, Carr uploaded a post on X in response to Toronto Star Columnist Bruce Arthur’s post about the antisemitic and Islamophobic violence that occurred in Amsterdam on November 7. The violence followed a soccer game between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Netherlands’ Ajax FC. 

Tensions began when Israeli fans took down Palestinian flags while chanting anti-Arab slogans before the game. After the game, violence broke out between the Israeli fans and Palestine supporters. The incident was condemned internationally, with many including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling it an instance of “disgusting antisemitism.”

“Antisemitism is a cancer,” wrote Arthur on X in his now-deleted post, “but it feels like calling what happened in Amsterdam antisemitism is either expanding the definition into very uncomfortable places, or deliberate ignorance of who was involved and what they did.” 

In response to Arthur, Carr wrote, “Good luck with your treatments.” 

MACC brought attention to Carr’s response in a post on X, saying that “Dr. David Carr’s comment raises grave concerns about his professionalism, potential biases, and, most importantly, patient safety.”

MACC is a national organization that attempts to address Islamophobia and promote equity, inclusion, and justice for Canadian Muslims through its research.

The organization also pointed out the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s (CPSO) standards of maintaining professional conduct online. The CPSO regulates the practice of medicine in the province, and all Ontario physicians are required to be registered with the CPSO to practice medicine.

It also pointed out the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s (CPSO) standards of maintaining professional conduct online. The CPSO regulates the practice of medicine in the province, and all Ontario physicians are required to be registered with the CPSO to practice medicine. 

According to the CPSO’s Advice to the Profession: Document on Social Media Use, which outlines best practices for physicians’ social media use, a physician’s personal social media posts may be considered unprofessional if there is a connection between the post and the physician’s profession. 

For instance, the CPSO explains that social media conduct which “interferes with, or has the potential to interfere with, health care delivery, public trust in the profession, the safety or perceived safety of others, or the physician’s ability to collaborate,” is unprofessional behaviour which “poses a threat to patients and outcomes.”

In an email to The Varsity, the MACC wrote, “[Our] role is to advocate for equitable treatment and challenge actions or statements that may erode confidence in institutions. In this case, our concern extends to the potential implications for all communities, including Muslims, who might perceive a lack of impartiality or understanding from a professional in such a role.” 

Barriers to healthcare

Kavita Algu — a palliative care physician and PhD candidate at U of T’s Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation — wrote to The Varsity in an email, “I regularly have people reaching out to me saying that they do not feel safe accessing healthcare. They also often ask me if I know if a particular physician may treat them differently if they disclose that they are Palestinian, upset about the genocide or support Palestinian struggles.”

In the email, MACC also called for U of T and associated healthcare facilities to take disciplinary action, including “a transparent review of Dr. Carr’s conduct in line with the CPSO policies on Professional Behaviour and Social Media to assess alignment with professional standards, mandatory training on cultural competency and anti-discrimination for all faculty and healthcare providers to prevent similar incidents in the future, and clear communication from the university and healthcare institutions affirming their commitment to inclusivity and respect for all communities.”

A student at the Faculty of Medicine who has worked with Carr, and requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, told The Varsity that seeing the post was shocking. 

“If [Carr] chooses to be public facing, there needs to be a public-facing investigation, and there’s certainly none of that. And so that speaks to the lack of leadership and lack of courage [at the] University of Toronto, and the complicity in allowing this behaviour to continue again a year and a half into a genocide,” they said.

“Double-standard”

Ruth Marshall — an associate professor in the departments of religion and political science at UTSG — wrote in an email to The Varsity that there is a clear “double-standard” from U of T in disciplining faculty for their social media conduct. Faculty members who posted on social media in support of Palestine were recently called into the Dean’s office. On the other hand, Marshall pointed out that similar statements to Carr’s from other Temerty faculty members have received no disciplinary action from the university.

During the 63-day pro-Palestine encampment at King’s College Circle, Dr. Thea Weisdorf was videotaped telling protesters, “I hope you never need healthcare from U of T.” Dr. Weisdorf is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and a family physician at the St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team. 

When asked about Weisdorf’s statement, a university spokesperson referred The Varsity to the Student Complaint Processes website.

“There are actually far too many examples of discrimination and anti-Palestinian racism within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine to list here. While the behaviour of individual faculty members is racist and dangerous, I think it is important to note that all of [these individuals], to my knowledge, continue to supervise learners through the University of Toronto,” wrote Algu.

Carr is a “status only” professor at U of T. According to the Temerty Faculty of Medicine website, “status-only appointments are granted to employees of affiliated hospitals or research institutions, or faculty at other universities.” Status-only professors “must hold full-time employment arrangements with another institution and have a job description that is primarily academic (research and teaching) in nature.”

According to the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association’s definition, anti-Palestinian racism includes “excluding or pressuring others to exclude Palestinian perspectives, Palestinians and their allies; defaming Palestinians and their allies with slander such as being inherently antisemitic.” 

“I dont feel like I have… equitable access to [career] opportunities because I am a Palestinian advocate,” the anonymous student said. 

“The administration must recognize that its failure to act against anti-Palestinian racism or to hold faculty accountable for harmful behaviour enables a culture of impunity. This inaction does not occur in a vacuum — it is part of a broader pattern of institutional complacency that reflects deeper structural biases,” Algu wrote.  

Dr. David Carr did not respond to The Varsity’s request for comment in time for publication.

If you or someone you know has experienced harassment or discrimination based on race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship and/or creed at U of T, report the incident to the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity office: https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/help/

You can report incidents of anti-Muslim racism through the National Council of Canadian Muslims’ Hate Crime Reporting form at https://www.nccm.ca/programs/incident-report-form/.

If you or someone you know has experienced Islamophobia, or anti-Muslim racism, or is in distress, you can contact:

If you or someone you know is in distress, you can call: 

  • Canada Suicide Prevention Service phone available 24/7 at 1-833-456-4566 
  • Good 2 Talk Student Helpline at 1-866-925-5454 
  • Connex Ontario Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600 
  • Gerstein Centre Crisis Line at 416-929-5200 
  • U of T Health & Wellness Centre at 416-978-8030