The (CFS)-Files

Along time ago (1981 to be precise), the Simon Fraser Student Society was a founding member of a wonderful idea. The idea was a national student organization which would work on behalf of students across the country, listening to their needs. Student societies from across Canada flocked to the new activist organization, which was named the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).

What a difference seventeen years makes. Today, many claim that the dream has become a bloated, corrupt bureaucracy, centred in Ontario, which is dedicated to preventing schools which want to leave the federation from withdrawing, to tying up departing student societies in lawsuits and red tape, and to getting jobs in the CFS and NDP for those on the inside of the clique. Schools are holding pullout referenda at an alarming rate. The question becomes, is the Federation dying and/or becoming irrelevant to students? And what can students do about it?

The claims of corruption are told in many various forms, across many former and current member schools. Stephen Ocsko was the president of the Malaspina student society, until impeachment proceedings were brought against him by two pro- CFS members of the Malaspina executive. He claimed that there were multiple breaches of the student society's constitution during this process. For instance, he claimed that balloting was held at satellite campuses of the schools, though this is a direct violation of the student society's constitution. He claimed to have the support of two legal opinions, the school's ombudsperson, and the school's senate. The matter was sent to arbitration through Paul Ramsey's office, where it was thrown out. Ocsko also claimed that this was due to CFS interference. At last contact, the matter was in court.

The University College of the Cariboo, which pulled out of the CFS in October of one year, is not a big fan of the CFS either. The CFS fees were collected in September of that year, and were put into a trust account. After awhile, when no one came to get the fees, they were amalgamated with the student society's general bank account. The CFS sued to get the fees, and seized approximately $85,000 from the fund. Unfortunately, the relevant fees were only about $40,000. The CFS claimed the rest were for items such as "conference fees". The matter is nearing resolution in court.

The former chair of the British Columbia component of the CFS (BC-CFS), Michael Gardiner, managed to get a job after finishing his stint with the CFS. It so happens that his job is in Glen Clark's office, as the "Special Advisor to the Premier on Youth". Not unsurprisingly to many observers, since Glen Clark and Paul Ramsey, the embattled Minister of Education, are both former executives of the CFS.

Another thing that many former member schools dislike about the CFS is the way former members are treated. In British Columbia, the CFS claims Selkirk Community College, Northwest Community College, Douglas College, and Kwantlen College as members, amongst other schools. The problem is that all these schools have pulled out of the CFS, all through student referenda. They continue to be represented on the CFS-BC letterhead, continue to be sent bills for membership, and are generally harassed by the CFS.

The example of Selkirk Community College is a telling one. Pulling out in the early 1990s, Selkirk dissolved and reformed their student society because of continual CFS harassment. Even though the old Selkirk student society has been defunct since 1991, they continue to receive invoices, according to student society President Gord Broten. The most common claim, according to Broten, is that the "debt" owed by former CFS schools will be "forgiven" if they rejoin, even though since the schools are no longer members, they cannot be charged, since B.C. has laws against negative- option billing. In any event, the CFS is sending the bills to the defunct student society, not the current one. Broten says that according to the CFS, Selkirk's Student Society owes thousands of dollars.

In B.C., many students are concerned that the CFS seems to be sending candidates to schools to run for the Boards of Directors of students societies, to shore up support for the CFS at those schools.

In the spring elections of 1997, there were two slates run at Capilano and Simon Fraser University. Both slates were called "Putting Students First" (PSF). Unsurprisingly, a large part of their platform was unconditional support for the CFS, since the posters were done using CFS equipment, at CFS headquarters, and the candidates had strong links to the CFS (Joey Hansen, SFSS President, is also currently on the CFS national executive, and due to head to Ottawa for a paying job in the CFS national headquarters). Both slates were victorious.

Douglas College successfully held a pullout referendum a few years ago, and stopped paying fees to the CFS. A long legal battle ensued, and Douglas College finally prevailed. In the Spring of 1997, another pro-CFS slate won the election, and they are currently trying to force the school back into the CFS fold. A referendum is being held at the school to rejoin the CFS this year, and the Simon Fraser Student Society elections have been pushed back, in part so that the Simon Fraser CFS supporters can help out their political friends at Douglas. At least one pro-CFS member of the Simon Fraser Student Society sits on both the SFU and Douglas student societies' board of directors.

Another concern that many students share is concerning the apparent political backscatching that goes on between CFS members. As already mentioned, Hanson and Gardiner have both lined up jobs for themselves after serving their terms as CFS executives. Another CFS insider that concerns many students is Philip Link, who is the co-ordinator at CFS-BC headquarters. His track record speaks for itself, if you examine the time he spent working at the Langara Student Union General Office. He admitted destroying copies of the student newspaper on one occasion because it contained comments which were uncomplimentary towards him, and he was implicated on another occasion. According to the student newspaper at Langara, he is also alleged to have committed assault on at least five occasions. After representatives from the two Langara papers found copies of the missing papers in the dumpster behind the student union building, they dumped the copies on Link's desk. Reporter Ian Hanington alleges that "Link came out of his office, struck me in the face, and tried to take my camera from me... he knocked me to the floor, knocked my glasses off, and began choking me with the camera's strap. One witness, Ezekial Norton, described Link as "out of control".

Perhaps of more concern to members of the CFS is that Link, at his current position, is responsible for staff hours at the CFS, including overtime. While working at the LSU, Link claimed he was owed $36,000 in accrued overtime. Some students, and especially people who knew Link during his time at the Langara Student Union, wonder who is watching Link, and what accountability procedures are in place.

Kelly Davis, a former SFSS President, once said (in reference to the CFS), "A national student organization is a great idea. It's too bad this one's run like a cult." This was in response to two CFS actions. One was the swarming of campus by CFS-supporting, non-Simon Fraser students, trying to convince the SFU student body to stay in the CFS. The other was the inaugural meeting of a new provincial student organization, entitled the BCSA (British Columbia Student Association). It has since been re-named the British Columbia-Yukon Student Association, with the joining of Yukon college. At the meeting, any interested schools were invited to attend and were given votes by then chair (and Kwantlen President) Katherine Fleetwood. It is alleged that a large contingent of CFS-BC schools showed up, lead by Michael Gardiner, then chair of the CFS-B.C. Apparently, the group's goal was to disrupt the meeting, and prevent a new provincial student organization from being formed. Whenever Gardiner stood up to vote, it is reported, all other CFS representatives at the meeting stood up to vote, not unlike a group of zombies.

One of the charges which should be of most concern to B.C. students is summarized by Matt MacRae, President of UNBC's student society. Speaking of the CFS, he says "The bureaucracy that was taking place in the CFS... was just outstanding, and they weren't playing any attention to provincial issues." The CFS, as well as its provincial component, according to many, is no longer a bottom-up organization, as was intended, and has instead fallen under the control of a small number of CFS insiders. The CFS-BC does not seem to do much for B.C. students, and seems content to work on the federal campaigns, ignoring the concerns of B.C. students. Graig Alderich, Kwantlen Student Society President, summarizes the CFS-BC's seeming contempt for provincial issues by saying, "I've heard lots of discussion about a National Education Act, what about a Provincial Standards Act?"

Anytime the issue of a CFS pullout arises at SFU, the CFS often convinces the students (who are dealing from a position of weakness, with little non-CFS information) that the CFS is the only choice. This is not true. There are alternative national student organizations the SFSS could join, such as the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). However, many of the students on campus feel they are too conservative in their views, as they don't protest as much as the CFS, and don't have as radical a stance (low- end estimates of the cost of the CFS's 'free tuition' stance reach eight billion dollars). Chris Golden, Kwantlen Student Society's VP-Internal, asserting that CASA negotiates with the federal government and has better results, asks "People hear about the CFS because they're on the news. But do they sit down and talk about the issues?"

Another issue which polarizes CFS and CASA supporters is the CFS's stance on social issues. Many at SFU feel that the CFS's stance on issues not directly related to education is good, making for a better atmosphere on campus and a better world, while many others see it as detracting from the most important goals of lower levels of student debt, basically saying that its better to do one thing good that many things poorly. Dominic Walton, the UCC student society's VP- External, says that his student society is concerned about "not just dealing with the issues, but being focused with them."

There is another option, which is becoming more and more amenable to all students on Simon Fraser's campus. The British Columbia-Yukon Student Association (BCYSA) was formed as a reaction to the CFS's hegemony into individual student societies' affairs, as well as their apparent disinterest in provincial educational issues. Like CASA, the BCYSA focus will be on provincial educational issues. The reason, as UCC's Dominic Walton says, is to avoid social issues because "We just don't want to end up fighting about whether China should be in Tibet". They currently have five member schools (Yukon College, UCC, UNBC, Kwantlen, and University-College of the Fraser Valley), with at least two more joining by May (Selkirk and Northwest Community Colleges). Other schools have also reportedly expressed interest, including BCIT. There are a number of benefits to joining a small, growing organization, including increased communication (they meet twice a month, whereas CFS-BC member schools only congregate once every three months), which will prevent the cliquism and control of the majority by the minority inherent in the CFS. Also, Simon Fraser students would have a larger voice in the direction of the BCYSA than it does currently in the CFS. As Brian Cole, BCYSA Coordinator and longtime UNBC student executive states, "That's one of the advantages of starting up, we can mold this into an organization that really listens to its members."

The BCYSA is at the stage the CFS was seventeen years ago. Some believe it is time for Simon Fraser students to seize the day, and jump ship to the BCYSA, an organization seen as being better prepared for the future. Can SFU students learn from the organizational mistakes of the CFS, and fight for their interests in a better forum? The last word goes to Kwantlen President Alderich, who, in reference to leaving the CFS and joining the BCYSA, states "I think it's time to start doing something."

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