It has long been a sad tradition of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) to shut out as many students as possible from its annual general meeting. The federation only invites a small list of student delegates, mainly student government representatives, and one student reporter to attend on behalf of all its members.
Yet the typical purpose for holding annual general meetings is to give the membership of an organization a better understanding of its operations and a chance for input. It’s about time the CFS became more transparent, starting with opening its doors to all members interested in attending its annual meeting.
Clearly many students are not happy with their membership in the federation at the moment — groups at 13 universities across Canada have submitted petitions to hold referendums on their CFS membership this year.
The CFS should take this as a sign that it needs to bring students closer, not push them away. If the federation’s members are not able to attend its annual meeting, it sends the message to students that either the CFS does not care about them or has something to hide.
It doesn’t help that the federation fails to share its yearly budget with students. Nor is it adequate for one member of the student press to have the ability to report on the federation’s annual meeting. Inviting everyone could give disgruntled students the chance to dispel concerns and constructively engage with the executive and feel valued. It’s high time the CFS made this move, as it exists for the sole purpose of representing students; the S in CFS stands for students, after all.