Members of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) met with Premier Kathleen Wynne on Jan. 14 to discuss implementing sexual assault policies and consent education on university campuses.
“Most universities across the province have policies on harassment, respect, and equity, but there’s no stand-alone policy on sexual assault,” said Anna Goldfinch, CFS Representative of the Ontario chapter and Carleton alumni.
Goldfinch explained how this policy would outline the procedures of dealing with a sexual assault on campus with clear-cut consequences and information on how to officially report an assault to the school.
Goldfinch said the meeting with Wynne was very productive, adding the federation “applauds her leadership” in tackling sexual assault on campuses.
Goldfinch said the discussion with Wynne focused on three main points: the need for mandatory consent education on campus, student-led policy development, and establishing accountability measures.
“It’s students who have been fighting for this for over 30 years,” Goldfinch said. “They need to be the ones at the centre of policy development.”
Wynne will announce her provincial action plan on sexual assault policies in early March for Women’s Day. Goldfinch said she is optimistic this may serve as the final push for post-secondary institutions to start implementing student-driven policies on sexual assault.
