Two Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) executive members campaigned for the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) at the University of Guelph Mar. 30, sparking backlash from Carleton student Dean Tester who started a petition to leave the CFS last semester.
The fourth-year journalism student said his friends at U of G recognized the CUSA members on campus. He asked them to take pictures.
These photos revealed vice-president (finance) Meera Chander and vice-president-elect (student issues) Dina Skvirsky with clipboards in hand, encouraging Guelph students to support the CFS.
“[Chander and Skvirsky have] never seen [or] been on their campus and don’t know the first thing about what it means to be a Guelph student. Why are they telling Guelph students what to think or how to vote?”
According to a campus bulletin from U of G, the school successfully petitioned to hold a referendum from April 7-9. Students will have the chance to vote on whether they want to remain members of the CFS.
CUSA president Erik Halliwell confirmed the two members had asked for vacation time and paid for their own travel expenses to campaign for the CFS.
“They were there as individuals [wanting to] talk to students about working together for students with the province. . . . It was a personal decision to act accordingly,” he said.
But Tester drew attention to Chander’s position as the CFS-Ontario treasurer.
“That’s her career choice,” he said. “But she has to remember that she was also elected by Carleton students.”
At the root of the issue lies the division of Carleton students’ attitudes towards the CFS, Tester said. According to Tester, the federation began as a national lobby group, representing student interests. He said it soon became a multi-million-dollar corporation, valuing profits over student issues.
“The student movement should be about what the students want,” Tester said. “We don’t need paid staff to tell the students what they want.”
Halliwell supported the Chander and Skvirsky’s presence at U of G, stressing the importance of a united student front under the CFS.
“They certainly feel, and myself included, that students are stronger when they work together, working towards affordable education,” said Halliwell. “Talking to students in Guelph [was part of that].”
The Facebook group for the “no” campaign against CFS membership stands at more than 1,750 members, where the “yes” campaign group has slightly more than 600 members.
Tester commended the progress of the “no” campaign.
“I hope they win,” he said. “I really wish them the best.”