In an email to Progressive Conservative members asking for donations, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said student unions have been up to “crazy Marxist nonsense,” and he praised implementing the Student Initiative Choice.
Last month, the Ontario government announced the initiative, which made ancillary fees for various student groups optional rather than mandatory. The initiative came among other changes to tuition fees and the Ontario Student Assistance Program, such as cutting the free tuition program and introducing a 10 per cent tuition decrease across the board.
Ford’s changes have not been met without criticism, including his recent remarks.
Nour Alideeb, the chair of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario (CFS), said the email confirmed some of the concerns she had when the opt-out was announced.
“Our first initial reaction to the whole Student Choice Initiative was that this isn’t trying to save student money or providing students the choice,” she said. “It’s trying to take out groups that the government doesn’t agree with.”
Alideeb said it’s “interesting” that Ford called student unions Marxist because students have the freedom of association.
“They can be Marxist, they can be Conservatives, they can be NDP, they can be anything really,” she said.
Lily Akagbosu, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) vice-president (student-life) and 2019-20 president-elect, said Ford’s recent remarks and decision to implement the Student Choice Initiative shows the lack of understanding of the value of student unions.
She said while the university might have somewhat similar services to what CUSA provides, the ones run by the student association “are more accessible because they’re peer-to-peer.”
“It’s one thing to say, ‘I think we know what students want—we’re the administration,’” Akagbosu said. “It’s another thing to say, ‘as fellow students, we can relate to what the students want.’”
Student unions are elected democratically, Alideeb said. She added that the services they provide such as LGBTQ+ centres, women’s centres and sexual violence support are a reflection of what students want.
“If that’s what the government calls ‘crazy Marxist nonsense,’ then I am all for it,” she said.
Akagbosu said the Student Choice Initiative is going to change how the student union plans their budget.
She said instead of one set budget, they will need to build contingency budgets where they estimate it based on the percentage of funds they receive.
Akagbosu added that in order to encourage students to keep paying the ancillary fee to CUSA, they’re going to show students a breakdown of how the money is distributed.
Alideeb said as for the CFS, who collects fees from student unions, “we’re going to have at our next general meeting a very honest conversation what the realities will be.”
Akagbosu said they’re currently working with student unions across the city’s universities and colleges “to make our voices heard.”
“It’s interesting to see how a lot of folks have come together and it really shows the importance of this and it does affect everyone,” Akagbosu said.
