The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) held its 38th annual general meeting (AGM) during the week of June 8-11. The Charlatan breaks down what you need to know.
Increasing subsidies for Black and Indigenous delegates
Delegates debated over whether or not subsidy amounts for Black and Indigenous people of colour (BIPOC) delegates attending CFS general meetings should be increased.
The motion proposed allocating at least $10,000 in the federation’s budget to cover the total costs of BIPOC applicants, or be equally divided among applicants if costs exceeded $10,000.
Subsidies for certain student groups—such as racialized and queer students—already exist to help lower accommodation and travel fees.
“I do agree that there is a need to do better in bringing more marginalized voices into this space, however I do disagree that a monetary funding is the only way to go,” Atif Abdullah, president of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), said to the room.
“I think there is some responsibility on locals themselves to make sure that they are prioritizing bringing a diverse delegation with them to represent the voices that they have on their campus,” he added.
Jelynn Dela Cruz, vice president of student life of the University of Manitoba students’ union (UMSU), BIPOC like herself face systemic barriers in order to get to places like the AGM, where valuable conversations are being made and things are being decided for them.
“And I truly believe that there are more people that need to be here, representing our communities, so that we can make those decisions ourselves.”
After a majority vote, the decision was referred to the national executive.
The federation carried a motion to support student publications and the coverage of public meetings held by the CFS, and to “respect and encourage journalistic integrity,” according to the meeting agenda.
Among the reasons listed for the motion were the potential effects of the Student Choice Initiative, which the agenda stated “is likely to limit the capacity and the effect of those publications.”
Delegates debated an amendment to the motion, which proposed that media should be permitted to cover CFS subcommittee meetings, which include: budgetary, organizational services and development, policy review, and campaigns meetings.
“I think it’s the right of those students to know where that money is going and how that money is being spent,” the member local which proposed the amendment told the room on budgetary meetings.
However, several delegates argued to the room that allowing media access into such meetings may infringe upon the privacy and safety of certain student groups—such as LGBTQ+ constituencies—and that details discussed during such meetings are not final.
The amendment to the motion failed to pass.
Several emergency motions proposed by student groups and caucuses carried.
A group of Black students proposed an emergency motion for the federation to commit to combating violence against Black students, citing the June 2 incident involving Shelby McPhee, a graduate student at Acadia University.
McPhee was attending a congress held at UBC when he was asked for proof of ID and was later accused of stealing a laptop—a claim that was unfounded after an investigation by the RCMP.
Anna Goldfinch, AGM chairperson, initially said the motion did not qualify as an emergency motion, but this decision was overturned by majority vote.
The proposal of emergency motions is allowed, under the conditions that the event which spurred the emergency motion occurred after the proposal deadline, and the motion could not be pushed to the next general meeting.
The above motion carried during the meeting, after much debate over whether or not the motion qualified as an emergency motion.
The Circle of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Students—a caucus of Indigenous students—also proposed two motions which carried at the top of the meeting.
The first of the emergency motions proposed by the Circle requested the federation to combat the Ontario government’s cuts to funding for Indigenous studies secondary courses, among other things.
A second emergency motion proposed by the Circle asked the federation to study the final report by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S), released on June 3, and to find ways to apply the report.
Ashley Courchene, president of Carleton’s Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) and member of the Circle, motivated the motion.
“What I’ve found in these spaces is that although many people say that they’re down for Indigenous people and Indigenous rights—and many are—we still hear and see different things,” Courchene told the room.
Lastly, a caucus of international students proposed a motion for the federation to lobby against the imminent deportation of international student Jobandeep Sandhu, who was arrested for overworking on a student visa. The motion passed by majority vote.
Photo by Tim Austen
