CUSA vice-president (internal affairs) Cameron McKenzie (left) gave a class talk in support of membership in the CFS, as directed by council (Photo: Adam Dietrich)

Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) has officially taken a stance against holding a referendum to leave its national student union. At a meeting Sept. 29, CUSA council voted 17 to nine to support continued membership in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and to mandate the CUSA executive to campaign in support of membership.

However, the union executive is divided on the issue. Nick Bergamini, vice-president (student issues) and Jessica Vasquez, vice-president (student services) both voted against the motion. “CUSA council’s been out of step with public opinion on campus,” Bergamini said.  In opposition to CUSA’s directive, Bergamini said he definitely would not be campaigning in support of the CFS. “Let’s let students decide if they want to be members of [CFS].” “It’s just a mandate from students to, should a referendum come, take the position that we are in favour of continued membership,” said CUSA president Erik Halliwell.  Halliwell said there would be no reprisal against members of the executive who did not comply with the mandate. “Fundamentally we disagree, but that’s fine,” Halliwell said of his fellow executive. “We can continue to work together.”

The preamble of the motion, which was written by fourth-year political science student Dina Skvirsky, alleges that petition collectors misrepresented themselves and the implications of their petition.  “There’s been a lot of concern from students that people going around with this anti-CFS petition have grossly misrepresented the facts,” Skvirsky said. “It’s important for students to make an informed decision.” “When students are informed, they do support the CFS.”  Skvirsky sat on council as a proxy for public affairs councillor Natalie Pinto, who was not present at the meeting. Pinto said that Skvirsky put forward the motion of her own accord, and not as a representative of Pinto.  The motion “implies that students attempting to have a referendum are lying to students,” said Brandon Wallingford, vice-president (academic) of Carleton Academic Student Government and one of the students who collected signatures for the petition.  “Ninety-nine per cent of students who signed this knew what they were signing and want a referendum next semester,” Wallingford said. The petition, which students  began gathering signatures for on Sept. 14, has accumulated more than 2,150 signatures, according to fourth-year journalism student Dean Tester, the creator of the petition. “I’m deeply disturbed by the significant allocation of student resources to discredit a petition,” Tester said of council’s decision.  Tester accused CUSA executives of spending their paid office hours “campaigning to silence students.” Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences councillor Donnie Northrup described it as an “outreach motion.”

“It gets out what CFS is, so [students] can make an informed decision,” Northrup said. “We don’t elect our political leaders for eternity . . . so we shouldn’t elect the CFS for eternity either,” said public affairs councillor Adam Dewar, who voted against the motion.  Dewar noted that it has been 15 years since the last referendum was held. The motion was an emergency motion, not originally on the agenda and only introduced at the start of the council meeting. “It was a complete surprise,” Bergamini said. “Nobody shared it with me.”  Halliwell said he was unsure why it was an emergency motion, but said that it came forward at the last minute from a concerned student. He also said he has not been contacted by the CFS about the referendum issue. “I really do believe in the Canadian Federation of Students,” Halliwell said.