University of British Columbia graduates narrowly avoided impeachment from their positions in the Alma Mater Society for filing a human rights complaint against the federal and provincial governments over access to post-secondary education.
President of the AMS, Blake Frederick filed the human rights complaint against the B.C. and federal governments Nov. 25 arguing that they are failing to make post-secondary education accessible because of increasing tuition fees.
The complaint was filed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Frederick said he wanted them to appoint an independent expert to investigate the rising costs and barriers to post-secondary education in Canada.
The Canadian government and the B.C. provincial government signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1976. This is the human rights document that the AMS is concerned with.
The treaty states, “higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education.”
According to an article in Straight Talk News, the student union has been lobbying governments for years. They want to remove the financial barriers standing in many prospective students’ way of getting a post-secondary education.
The complaint noted that in the past decade, tuition fees in B.C. have gone up while government funding has been on the decline.
The AMS said both the federal and the B.C. governments did not live up to the terms of the treaty by “failing to adequately control tuition fees.” The group also said the government has failed by not providing students with sufficient financial support.
But the AMS council voted unanimously to withdraw the complaint from the UN at an emergency meeting where it also called for the resignation of Frederick and AMS vice-president (external relations) Tim Chu.
Approximately 200 students attended the emergency meeting, and opinions were mixed about whether to remove Frederick and Chu from office.
Frederick and Chu have since apologized for not consulting with the council before filing the complaint, but said they would not be stepping down.
The council does not have the authority to recall director — that can only be done through a special resolution or a referendum.
The AMS’s mission statement is “to improve the quality of the educational, social and personal lives of the students of UBC,” which was also included in the complaint.
The AMS at UBC has been involved in campaigning to encourage both levels of government to reduce tuition fees and increase accessibility to post-secondary education in B.C. since 2001.
“I have heard some frustrations from students,” Frederick said.
“But I’ve also received an outpouring of support from students who believe very strongly that the government is not doing enough to make post-secondary education affordable for them.”