Canadian Federation of Students
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The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is the largest student organization in Canada. Founded in 1981, the CFS works for high quality, accessible post-secondary education at the federal level and provincial levels (in the provinces in which it has sections). It represents over 500,000 full-time and part-time students from seventy college and university students' unions across the country.
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History
The Federation was originally formed from two national and five provincial students' unions in an effort to create a united student movement in Canada that was both national and provincial and that provided political representation and student-oriented services.
Several student governments left the CFS in the early 1990s expressing displeasure over the organization's political stances, particularly its opposition to the Gulf War, and its involvement in other issues, which some argued were outside the purview of student politics. As well, several of the student governments who left argued that the CFS's advocacy of "zero tuition" was unrealistic, and its emphasis on organizing political demonstrations rather than lobbying governments was detrimental.
In 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Students Associations was formed by several student governments dissatisfied with CFS. CASA today has 19 member organizations. The unions charged that CFS was too busy promoting other campaigns, instead of fighting rising tuition, and felt that CFS was an ineffective organization, not serving the needs of students. [1] (http://www.mcgilltribune.com/news/2001/10/22/News/Mcgill.Graduates.Disappointed.With.The.Canadian.Federation.Of.Students-130624.shtml) In addition, CFS has been accused of being too close to the New Democratic Party (NDP). [2] (http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/displaypackstory?2003/07/29+181.raw+PE03Jul29+2) Conversely, CASA has been accused of being too close to the Liberal Party of Canada.[3] (http://varsity.utoronto.ca:16080/archives/119/feb01/news/casa.html)
Some of the students' unions have since rejoined the CFS, resulting in an increase of membership by 100,000 students. Returning members included the undergraduate student unions at Carleton University and the University of Windsor, and the gradute students at Queen's University. In 2002, the University of Toronto Students Administrative Council, Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students and Scarborough Campus Students Union joined the organization. In 2004, the University of Manitoba Students' Union and the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union became prospective members.
In the past ten years, the CFS has organized a series of actions to complement its lobbying of provincial and federal governments. In 1995, over 100,000 students came out to oppose the Liberal federal government's plan to introduce "Income Contingent Loan Repayment". In Ontario, the CFS organized a series of demonstrations to protest the former Progressive Conservative government's deregulation of tuition fees and reduction of provincial funding. In British Columbia, it played an active role in convincing the former NDP government to introduce tuition fee freezes and reductions. They have been accused of being too close to the Glen Clark government in BC, and harassment of any union that tries to leave CFS.[4] (http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/98-1/issue7/cfs.html)
Conversely, CFS's defenders argue that it was the federation that convinced the Clark government to institute a tuition freeze, and that the CFS's view is that the only legitimate way for a student union to disaffiliate from CFS is through a referendum of the student body ,rather than by a decision of the student government or a vote in student council.
A 1998 article in the Simon Fraser University student newspaper The Peak accused CFS of being corrupt, bloated, Ontario-centred, and a form of clique, with their people getting jobs in the NDP or Liberal governments.[5] (http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/98-1/issue7/cfs.html)
Services
The CFS offers a number of services to its members including the International Student Identification Card in Canada, the Student Work Abroad Program and Homes4Students (http://www.homes4students.ca/), an online housing service. The organization also produces the Studentsaver Discount Card for members, and operates the National Student Health Network.
Current issues
In 1999, the University Students' Council at the University of Western Ontario filed suit against the CFS in relation to the ownership by its subsidiarly, CFS-Services, of Travel Cuts. [6] (http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/1998/September/18/default.htm) The lawsuit has since been joined by CASA school University of British Columbia, and unaffiliated University of Alberta and Queen's University. [7] (http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/2001/March/27/News3.htm)
The Ryerson Students' Administrative Council was to hold a referendum to leave the CFS, but the decision to hold a referendum was rescinded by a vote of 122 to 22 opposed, with two abstentions, at the council's semi-annual general meeting.[8] (http://www.theeyeopener.com/storydetail.cfm?storyid=1437)
In 2004-05, CFS-Ontario led a lobbying campaign designed to convinced the provincial commission on higher education, chaired by former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae, to recommend a complete tuition fee freeze. The Rae commission did not take CFS's advice, but the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty imposed a temporary and partial freeze on tuition fee increases.
Current members
British Columbia
- Camosun College Student Society
- Capilano Students' Union
- City Centre Students' Union
- Douglas Students' Union
- Emily Carr Students' Union
- King Edward Students' Union
- Kwantlen Student Association
- Malaspina Students' Union
- College of New Caledonia Students' Association
- North Island Students' Association
- Northwest Community College Students' Association
- Okanagan University College Students' Association
- Penticton Campus Students' Association
- College of the Rockies Students' Union
- Selkirk Students' Association
- Simon Fraser Student Society
- University of Victoria Graduate Students' Society
- University of Victoria Students' Society
- Prospective Member: Northern Lights College Students' Association
Alberta
- Alberta College of Art and Design Students' Association
- Graduate Students' Association of the University of Calgary
Saskatchewan
- University of Regina Students' Union
- University of Saskatchewan Graduate Students' Association
- Saskatchewan Indian Federated College Students' Association
- Prospective Member: University of Saskatchewan Students' Union
Manitoba
- Brandon University Students' Union
- University of Manitoba Graduate Students' Association
- Association des étudiantes et étudiants du Collège universitaire de Saint Boniface
- University of Winnipeg Student Association
- Prospective Member: University of Manitoba Students' Union
Ontario
- Algoma University Students' Union
- Atkinson Students' Association
- Brock University Graduate Students' Association
- Carleton University Graduate Students' Association
- Carleton University Students' Association
- Student Association of George Brown College
- Glendon College Student Union
- University of Guelph Central Student Association
- University of Guelph Graduate Students' Association
- Lakehead University Student Union
- Laurentian University Students' General Association
- Association des étudiantes et étudiants francophones de l'Université Laurentienne
- McMaster University Graduate Students' Association
- Nipissing University Student Union
- Ontario College of Art and Design Student Union
- Graduate Students' Association des étudiant(e)s diplômé(e)s de l'Université d'Ottawa
- Queen's University Society of Graduate and Professional Students
- Ryerson Students' Administrative Council
- St. Paul University Students' Association
- Scarborough Campus Students' Union
- University of Toronto Graduate Students' Union
- Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students of the University of Toronto
- University of Toronto Students' Administrative Council
- Trent Central Students' Association
- University of Western Ontario Society of Graduate Students
- Wilfrid Laurier University Graduate Students' Association
- University of Windsor Graduate Students' Society
- University of Windsor Students' Alliance
- York Federation of Students
- York University Graduate Students' Association
- Prospective Member: Trent University Graduate Association
Québec
- Concordia Graduate Students' Association
- Concordia Students' Union
- Post-Graduate Students' Society of McGill University
Nova Scotia
- Acadia Students' Union
- University College of Cape Breton Students' Union
- University of King's College Students' Union
- Mount Saint Vincent University Students' Union
- Student Union of Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
- Association générale des étudiants de l'Université Sainte-Anne
- Prospective Member: Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students
Prince Edward Island
- Holland College Student Union
- University of Prince Edward Island Student Union
- University of Prince Edward Island Graduate Student Union
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Grenfell College Student Union
- Marine Institute Students' Union
- Graduate Students' Union of the Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Memorial University of Newfoundland Students' Union
- College of the North Atlantic Students' Association
Student Unions that have left CFS
- University of Alberta
- University-College of the Cariboo
- Dalhousie University
- Langara College
- University of Waterloo
- University of Western Ontario
External links
- Official Site (http://www.cfs-fcee.ca/)
- USC slaps CFS with $100 million lawsuit (http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/1998/September/18/default.htm)
- UPEI moves to leave Canadian Federation of Students (http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2004-2/issue7/ne-upei.html)
- 72 per cent majority (http://tinyurl.com/5qvfo)
- Dispenses with worthless expense: Federation has yet to put out (http://www.thestrand.ca/news/2004/10/06/Opinions/Dispenses.With.Worthless.Expense.Federation.Has.Yet.To.Put.Out-746019.shtml)
- The CFS-Files (http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/98-1/issue7/cfs.html)
- Constitution, Bylaws, Standing Resolutions, and Policies of the CFS (http://www.sfu.ca/~tgregory/cfs/)