Canadian Federation of Students Secret War Plans Revealed
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
Monday, February 4, 2008
Surrey, BC — The Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) has obtained a copy of a secret document detailing the plans of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) to wage a massive campaign in the upcoming referenda of the KSA, the Simon Fraser Student Society, and the University of Victoria Graduate Students’ Society to leave the national organisation.
The ‘war plans’ reveal the CFS intends to fly Federation-loyal students’ union executives and staff from over 30 students’ unions across Canada to campaign on behalf of the CFS. It is not clear that the students at these schools approve of their student fees being used to fund a campaign to shore up CFS support at other post-secondary institutions. “In my three years on the CFS-BC Executive Committee, I never saw a campaign strategy document this methodical,” said Laura Anderson, KSA Chairperson and Director of External Affairs.
The plans also include details about hiring a number of CFS-loyal individuals to various staff positions within the national and provincial offices of the Federation — and also to four local students’ unions: the Douglas Students’ Union, the Students’ Unions of Vancouver Community College, the University of Manitoba Students’ Union, and the Brandon University Students’ Union, which raises suspicions that this could take place without following proper procedures.
Critics of the CFS, like the KSA, have claimed that the Federation seeks to place CFS supporters in key staff positions in all of its member students’ unions, in order to ensure their continued loyalty. “This document is our ‘smoking gun’ on the lengths the CFS will go to just to maintain membership,” Anderson added.
For more information on the dysfunctional relationship between the CFS and its member students’ unions, visit: www.cfstruth.ca.
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The Kwantlen University College Student Association represents over 17,000 students enrolled at the four Greater Vancouver campuses of Kwantlen University College.
A backgrounder and the CFS ‘Referendum Campaign Plan’ document are attached.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Anderson, Chairperson and Director of External Affairs
778-386-7684 (cell) or external@kusa.ca (email)
Titus Gregory, Policy Analyst
778-869-9717 (cell) or titus.gregory@kusa.ca (email)