Local: We want out: SFSS
Earl Tapia, News Editor
Although the Simon Fraser Student Society wants to leave, the Canadian Federation of Students won’t let them go.
The SFSS’s bid to withdraw from the Federation has not been recognised by the CFS, and is not on the agenda for their 51st annual general meeting, taking place from May 24–27.
Brent Farrington, the National Deputy Chairperson for the CFS, says that he’s unsure at what stage the SFSS’s bid to leave the Federation is at.
“They’re somewhere in the process, but we’re not sure if they’ve put it on hold, or if they’ve decided if they’re holding a referendum,” he said.
“There’s a whole prescribed process. They have to hold a referendum, they have to give a certain number of signatures from the membership, nothing too unstandard in the union going world for a student organisation,” Farrington added.
Last semester the SFSS put a referendum question on the ballot during the SFSS executive election, where a majority of students voted to cease being members of the Federation.
But Amanda Aziz, National Chairperson of the CFS, told Macleans.ca that the SFSS’s referendum was flawed.
“According to policy, you’re supposed to provide notice to the membership . . . to provide the opportunity for students to create ‘no’ campaigns or ‘yes’ campaigns,” she said.
There was no official ‘no’ side during the referendum for leaving the Federation during last semester’s election.
“We have a process by which students can join and leave the federation . . . it’s to make sure that five students didn’t decide at a meeting to join the organisation on behalf of all their membership. Each individual student is a member of this organisation, so each individual student needs to have a voice about whether they want to be a member or maintain their membership. The same standards need to be applied to leaving as to joining,” she added.
Despite what Aziz said, SFSS President Derrick Harder said that the referendum was only meant to gauge where the SFSS membership stood in regards to the CFS.
“Our referendum was an internal process. We indicated to the Federation that this was an internal process in accordance with our by-laws, it was conducted in accordance with our by-laws, and it was carried out in accordance with our own by-laws, It is clearly an indication of where our members stand,” he said.
Harder stated that there are three ways that a member can leave the CFS. One way involves the long process of de-federating, which can be undertaken anytime. Another way is by expulsion, where the CFS expels a member from the membership. The third way is by withdrawal, which is what the SFSS is working towards.
“That is what we’ve pursued, where we indicate that we would like to withdraw . . . the vote goes to the plenary floor [during a general meeting] and the rest of the membership of the Canadian Federation of Students, at least those who are present, has a vote as to whether we get to stay or leave,” he said.
Harder also expressed disappointment at the CFS’s lack of communication.
“I’ll express again my disappointment that the Federation has not contacted us for clarification, and has not contacted us in regards to the process we’re trying to undertake,” said Harder. “They have yet to communicate about our membership in the Canadian Federation to Students outside of the media,” he added.
Harder also thinks that the CFS has misunderstood the purpose of the SFSS referendum.
“We’ve received a letter from the Canadian Federation of Students . . . letting us know that our referendum was not according to their by-laws, and will not be recognised as such. We responded by saying, ‘It has nothing to do with your by-laws, thank you very much,’ because it isn’t. We absolutely understand their de-federation process . . . and we undertook the referendum with full knowledge that it was not according to their process because it wasn’t meant to be,” said Harder.
“I don’t think they understand that, or they’re purposely obfuscate,” he added.
If the SFSS fails to withdraw from the Federation during the CFS national meeting, the next time that a withdrawal bid can be put in by the SFSS is during the next scheduled general meeting in the fall.
Despite that, Harder says that he’s determined to make sure the SFSS leaves the CFS.
“I’m taking it on as a mandate to leave the Canadian Federation of Students in accordance with their by-laws,” he stated.
The CFS has good reason to keep the SFSS within its membership. The CFS receives around $400,000 in annual fees, split between the provincial and national CFS organisations, from the SFSS.