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Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation (CNSF) - Canadian Brain and... cnsfederation.org |
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is the largest student organization in Canada. Founded in 1981, the stated goal of the CFS is to work at the federal level and provincial levels for high quality, accessible post-secondary education.[1] The CFS also has a mandate from its members to work on broader social justices issues.
[edit] StructureThe name "Canadian Federation of Students" is generally used to designate three legally distinct organizations: the national CFS, one of the provincial components of the CFS, or CFS-Services. CFS and CFS-Services share the same bylaws[2] and decision-making structures. These structures include biannual general meetings, where every member students' union receives one vote regardless of its local membership, and an executive[3], which includes representatives of each provincial component. In provinces where a significant number of students' unions are members of the CFS, the provincial component (e.g. CFS-BC, CFS-Ontario) has its own general meetings and executive, the latter being formed by representatives of the local students' unions.[4] The national CFS has threatened legal action following news releases and articles in which actions by provincial components have been attributed to "CFS". This response was contested on the grounds that some documents produced by the provincial components use the general name, and that students who join the CFS are required to be members of all three organizations.[5][6] In October 2009 CFS-Quebec ceased to operate as a recognized provincial affiliate of the CFS.[7] [edit] HistoryThe Federation was officially formed on October 18, 1981, from the merger of two national organizations - the National Union of Students in Canada (which was originally known as National Federation of Canadian University Students) and the Association of Student Councils - and student federations from five Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan), in an effort to create a united student movement in Canada that could provide student-oriented services and political representation at the federal and provincial levels of government. Part of the impetus to organize came from the federal government's announced $2 billion in cuts from Established Program Financing (including cuts to federal transfer payments for health and education), which were likely to result in tuition fee increases for students. [edit] Founding conferenceThe founding conference was held on October 14-19, 1981, at Carleton University. Mike McNeil was elected as the organization's first Chairperson, along with Mike Walker (Treasurer), former NUS treasurer Kirk Falconer (International Affairs Commissioner), Kathie Cram (Women's Commissioner), Brian Robinson (Graduate Student Representative), Ben Freedman (Member at Large), and Leslie Neilson (Member at Large).[8] The Federation's bylaws and constitution were finalized and over 50 motions were passed during plenary. After hearing speeches by Salvadoran and Chilean students, delegates passed motions condemning human rights violations and anti-student policies in those countries.[9] A campaign strategy was also launched in order to oppose the federal government's planned cut to EPF. The slogan for the campaign was "Access not axe us" and it called for an establishment of an all-grant system and a public inquiry into the future of post-secondary education.[8] The campaign also called for alliance building with community groups and public sector workers in order to gain support and fight against cut-backs to social programs. The campaign was named after a research report of the same name, by Bruce Tate. The report focused on effects of the Liberal Party cutback to education and highlighted issues such as access and tuition fee levels.[10] The Conference ended with a student presence in the daily Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons, a meeting with Secretary of State Gerald Regan, and a one-on-one debate between Chairperson Mike McNeil and Member of Parliament John Evans (parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Allan MacEachern) in the Snake Lounge at Carleton University.[11] Delegates attending the House of Commons Question Period were denied entry by security guards.[12] Mike McNeil and delegates were not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting with Gerald Regan.[13] [edit] Evolution of membership[edit] 1992-1995In 1992, six students' unions disaffiliated from the CFS to create the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, due in part to CFS' lobbying on social issues.[14]. The CFS reached a membership of 440,000 students from 65 member students' unions in 1993-1994. In the following year, many students' unions organized referenda to disaffiliate themselves from the CFS. For example, the executive of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) argued that the CFS's stance for the abolition of tuition fees was unrealistic, and criticized the CFS' involvement in social justice issues. The chairperson of the CFS at the time, a former SFUO president, argued that broader economic issues such as free trade have an impact on public post-secondary education.[15] Executive members from the SFUO, the Carleton University Students' Union and the Ryerson Students' Union signed a letter stating that these criticisms of the CFS had motivated students' unions from 20 universities to found the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.[16] Overall, 20 membership referenda were held in 1994-1995, with the net result that 59 member students' unions formed the CFS in September 1996, the latest being the York University Graduate Students' Association (Local 84).[17][18] [edit] 1995-2007Between 1995 and 2007, over twenty students' unions joined the CFS, including many graduate students' associations and part-time students' associations[19]. Several large undergraduate students' associations voted to affiliate themselves to the CFS during the same period. In 2002, the University of Toronto Students' Administrative Council, which had never been part of a national students' union before, voted to join the CFS.[20] At the November 2005 Annual General Meeting of the Federation, the positive result of affiliation referenda at both University of Manitoba Students' Union and the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union were ratified. The latter referendum result was challenged by former USSU director, and in 2007, the courts ruled the referendum to be of no force or effect. The CFS website continues to list the USSU as Local 17.[21] In October 2007, USSU voted to keep prospective membership in the CFS and hold a referendum in the next two years;[22] however, in September 2009 the USSU voted to rescind that motion and claims that it is now not affiliated with the CFS.[23] [edit] 2008In March 2008, students at four campuses (Cape Breton University, Simon Fraser University, Kwantlen University-College, and the University of Victoria) held referenda on membership in the CFS. The negative media coverage of the CFS was one of the reasons listed by the Kwantlen Student Association representatives for calling the referendum. Members at CBU, the SFU and the UVic (graduate students) voted to cease membership in the Federation. CFS representatives did not participate in the Cape Breton referendum, noting that the CBUSU failed to give proper notice. Fellow CFS members from other campuses participated in the Simon Fraser referendum, but then national chairperson Amanda Aziz stated that problems with the voting process could result in the outcome not being recognized by the CFS. The UVGSS result was not contested by the CFS.[24] The Canadian Federation of Students petitioned the BC Supreme Court to postpone the Kwantlen referendum after Kwantlen Students Association representatives hired Schiffner Consultants to run the referendum (contrary to CFS bylaws).[25] Then-KSA chairperson Laura Anderson claimed that the Federation was attempting to stall the referendum, but the court granted the CFS the injunction and the referendum was rescheduled for April 2008.[26]. Three weeks after the referenda at SFU and UVic (graduate students), Kwantlen students voted to remain members of the CFS.[27] In the fall of 2008, the largest bilingual student association in Canada, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, re-joined the CFS.[28] [edit] 2009In October 2009 students at Carleton, Trent, Guelph, and Concordia delivered petitions meeting the threshold necessary to initiate referenda on membership in the CFS.[29][30] Students at the University of Victoria Students' Society, and the Graduate Student Association at the University of Calgary collected enough signatures to initiate a membership referendum.[31][32] [edit] Government relationsA large part of the CFS' mandate is to lobby the federal government from its national office in Ottawa. Over the years, CFS representatives have testified to dozens of House of Commons committees, including the Standing Committee on Finance and the Standing Committee on Humans Resources Development and Persons with Disabilities (student loans).[33] In 2009, the CFS national chairperson was invited to deliver a workshop on lobbying policy-makers at a prestigious conference hosted by the Federated Press.[34] [edit] Current political positions[edit] Student loan bankruptcyIn 1999 the CFS challenged the legality of the student loan bankruptcy prohibition in the Superior Court of Canada.[35] [edit] Equal rightsIn 2004, the CFS joined the coalition Canadians for Equal Marriage.[36] [edit] Current campaigns[edit] Tuition freezes/cutsThe CFS actively lobbies on tuition-related issues, including holding rallies and national "days of action" to address such issues as tuition freezes and reductions in student loans. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the only province where all public college and university students' are members of the CFS, students pay the second-lowest average undergraduate tuition fees in Canada[37]. There, tuition fees were reduced by 25% in the 1990s and have remained frozen. The current Progressive Conservative government has pledged to keep the freeze in place until the end of their mandate, and recently eliminated the interest on the provincial portion of student loans[38]. In British Columbia, the CFS lobbied the former New Democratic Party (NDP) government to introduce tuition fee freezes and reductions.[39] [edit] Rock the VoteThe CFS has also been involved with attempting to increase turnout (particularly among students and young people) in elections. For example, in 2005 CFS-British Columbia (the provincial chapter of the CFS), the Langara Students' Union and the Corus Entertainment owned radio station C-FOX led a "non-partisan" campaign registering young voters in BC called Rock the Vote BC, based on the Rock the Vote campaign drives used by the Republican and Democratic parties in the 2004 US election to register young voters. Elections BC did not endorse the initiative because of concerns of partisanship.[40] The CFS was one of several groups admonished by the Commissioner of Canada Elections in October 2002 for having failed to submit an elections advertising report by the established deadline. The Commissioner notes that the report was filed by CFS in May 2002.[41] [edit] Aboriginal student issuesThe National Aboriginal Caucus is the mechanism with the CFS by which Aboriginal students can organize campaigns. The Caucus has its own budget and runs campaigns such as Where's the Justice for Aboriginal Peoples.[42] [edit] Graduate student issuesThe Canadian Federation of Students is the only student organization in Canada with a distinct graduate caucus that elects its own directors and operates with its own budget. Known as the National Graduate Caucus (NGC), 60,000 graduate students at 31 campuses across Canada currently comprise the NGC.[43] [edit] Commercialization of researchThe NGC campaigns to oppose commercialization of university research because its research shows that pressures from industry partners can threaten academic freedom and the public interest.[44] It points to cases such as those of Nancy Olivieri and David Healy as examples of commercialization run amok.[45] [edit] Whistleblowers campaignIn 2006 the NGC began working with Christopher Radziminski, alumnus from the University of Toronto, to support his battle with the University of Toronto and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) over research conducted with ERCO Worldwide. The former student alleges that a drinking water experiment in Wiarton, Ontario was not accurately reported in scholarly journals, posing a serious health risk to Canadians.[46] The NGC is supporting a judicial review of NSERC's decision not to press for an investigation at the University of Toronto.[47] [edit] Post-residency feesThe NGC has an active campaign to reduce fees charged to graduate students after their residency period. Graduate student unions affiliated to the NGC urge graduate students to sign pledges that they will not make alumni donations until their university reduces post-residency fees. [edit] Copyright renewalThe NGC has been lobbying the federal government in partnership with several organizations over current reform of the Canadian Copyright Act. This involves a letter writing campaign to MPs and participation in developing the Creative Commons project.[48] [edit] Research fundingThe NGC advocates for increased graduate student funding in the form of scholarships and training programmes. [edit] ServicesThe Canadian Federation of Students-Services (CFS-Services) is a legally separate branch of the Federation, founded in the early 1980s as the successor organization to the Association of Students' Councils Canada (AOSC). Services made available to individual student members or member students' unions of the CFS include:[49]
[edit] Travel CUTSTravel CUTS (Canadian Universities Travel Service) is a travel agency majority-owned and operated by CFS-Services (CFS-S), which operates in Canada and the United States.[50] As a member of the International Student Travel Confederation, Travel CUTS is the Canadian issuing agent for the International Student Identity Card (ISIC), an internationally recognized student identification that also provides access to discounts on travel. Services at Travel CUTS are not restricted to members of the CFS, but full members can obtain an ISIC at no charge. The ISIC is considered by some to be the most direct financial benefit associated with CFS membership.[51] In 1996, the University Students' Council at the University of Western Ontario initiated a lawsuit against CFS-Services, to be later joined by three other student societies (Alma Mater Society of the University of British Columbia, Queen's Alma Mater Society and University of Alberta Students' Union). The plaintiffs "alleged the CFS-Services illegally transferred assets from the AOSC, including Travel CUTS, to itself at a 1987 meeting".[52] A settlement was reached in 2006 through which the plaintiffs acquired 24 per cent of Travel CUTS and two seats on its board of directors.[53] [edit] References
[edit] External links
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