Letters to the Editor

re: Students want out of CFS (Sept. 22)

As the President of the Canadian Federation of Students-Quebec, I have been made aware of petitions circulating at all four of the CFS-Quebec member associations – these petitions are designed to initiate the process of leaving the CFS at these schools. While I respect the spirit behind this democratic initiative, I would hope that any “defederation” campaign does not lose sight of the end-goal – reforming the student movement so that it can function properly. To be more blunt: any “defederation” referendum that ignores the possibility of reforming the movement is little better than knee-jerk reactionism.
The CFS is a nation-wide organization committed to lobbying on behalf of students at the national and provincial levels; we provide a united voice for students and a centralized bureaucracy with which to achieve these goals. The CFS brings to every campus on which they operate, an opportunity to consolidate student resources and give students essential services such as health plans, travel deals, and cheaper cell phones. Then why, you may ask, are a number of schools attempting to leave the CFS?
Based on my conversations with students, I have come to accept that one of the points that angers students most about the CFS is the perception that the organization cannot manage students’ money effectively. Day after day, one regularly hears rumours of financial misappropriation at the CFS-Q, of untendered contracts handed out to CFS-friendly firms, of money going missing at student unions where the CFS holds sway (Douglas College and Concordia both leap to mind as examples).
My first response to such claims is to remind people that proper financial management, while desirable, is not the be-all and end-all of student politics. The CFS is here to do a job – lobbying for students – and if a few thousand dollars goes missing here or there, that must be taken in the context of the larger goal – it is certainly no worse than what has happened at non-CFS schools across the country.
At the same time, I would argue that any problems in financial transparency stem not from the CFS itself, but rather from the way in which it relates to its members, and from the way in which it provides services to them. For instance, organizations that maintain permanent bureaucrats alongside elected officials tend to suffer from centralization of power in the hands of those who remain year-after-year. Likewise, the ambiguity of provincial-federal relations within the CFS means that money cannot be easily tracked as it travels, for instance, from Montreal to Ottawa and back again. These are problems, admittedly; but they are solvable problems. A serious and invasive package of reforms to the CFS’ structure and regulations should be sufficient to address any of these problems.
Another issue that I see cited frequently in the CFS discussion is the alleged placement of CFS-friendly student union executives in positions of power in order to ‘toe the party line.’ From allegations of vote rigging and extortion, to videotapes of CFS executives interfering in local elections (ripping down posters and otherwise), many students have been bombarded with a steady flow of negative propaganda concerning our organization.
Admittedly, this is a more problematic issue to debate, and I can see how Concordia students familiar with our school’s deep ties to the CFS (which began with the Evolution party and the constant stream of former CSU execs into the CFS National Executive) could be taken with this notion. To this frustration, all I can say is: do not let a couple bad apples spoil the bunch. If tampering in elections has taken place, and this is not a point that I concede, then it is incumbent on the members of the organization to weed out any persons who have abused their office. The CFS may need to put its house in order, but that does not imply that it is responsible for the actions of a few, rogue executives and staffers.
It is been put to me repeatedly since I took office as President of the CFS-Q, that there is a wide disconnect between the theory and practice of democracy with the CFS. In theory, the CFS is a great group, which operates at the behest of its members, and which responds to their wishes. Certainly, the idea of having an organization unite students from across the country is exciting and provides hope to the many of us that want to see student issues being placed at the forefront of our society’s agenda.
For many students, however, the CFS’ practice of democracy has not always, or often, measured up to this ideal.
I believe that working from the inside to reform the problems of the CFS is the best way to improve its structures, and more importantly, its results. On that note, I do not necessarily agree that leaving the CFS is our best option here. Rather, we can attempt to stay in the organization and eliminate that disconnect between theory and practice that is so blaringly obvious to anyone who has examined the organization at even the most superficial level.
Indeed, I got involved in the CFS earlier this year because I observed these problems, and because I saw getting involved as the best way to resolve them.
Some have pointed to the CFS’s perceived undemocratic procedures (for example disproportional voting so that a student union with 1,000 members carries the same weight as one with thirty times that many) as an impetus to leave the CFS. To that, I must note that at the next CFS Semi-Annual General Meeting, to be held in November, at least 30 constitutional amendments aiming to open up, democratize and equalize the CFS will be proposed. These will be pushed through by Quebec members, and will be facilitated by the CFS-Q. This could be the opportunity the CFS has been waiting for, in order to democratically evolve and improve its constitution-thereby silencing its doubters.

-Gregory Johannson
Concordia student, President of CFS-Quebec

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