Canadian Federation of Students Fails in Supreme Court
// CFS sought to delay vote until the Fall and to restrict free speech on campus
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Surrey, BC — On March 14, 2008 a BC Supreme Court hearing was held on the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) lawsuit against the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA), seeking to postpone the KSA’s referendum to leave the CFS until the fall of 2008. The CFS also sought a ruling banning posters, leaflets and similar communications on campus prior to the official campaign period.
The Supreme Court Judge openly criticised the CFS representatives on the oversight committee. As an example, two of the CFS’s proposals for the ballot question were:
1. Are you in favour of the Kwantlen student body maintaining formal relations with student bodies at the following institutions: [followed by a two-page list of every school who's student union is a member of the CFS] through a democratic framework called the Canadian Federation of Students?
2. Are you in favour of stopping the further fragmentation of Canada’s student movement through a democratic framework called the Canadian Federation of Students?
“It’s disgusting,” said Laura Anderson Chairperson of the KSA, “The CFS purposefully held up the process and then when the process got bogged down, they tried to have the vote delayed until the fall. They’re trying to deprive the 2200+ students who signed the petition last year from voting during their educational term.”
On the free speech issue, the Judge disagreed strongly with the CFS, and pointed out repeatedly that we live in a free society. And despite the CFS’s demand that the vote be moved until the fall, the Judge delayed the date only a few weeks, and gave the oversight committee until 10am March 20 to decide on the referendum question, and strongly suggested that the KSA’s third party chief returning officer be used to administer the process. The parties will be back before the BC Supreme Court Thursday morning at 10am, at the Vancouver courthouse.
The new referendum dates for Kwantlen student to vote to leave the CFS are April 8 – 10, 2008 with the official campaign period beginning March 25, 2008. All the court documents for the injunction are posted on http://www.kusa.ca/cfsvksa.
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The Kwantlen University College Student Association represents over 13,000 students enrolled at four lower-mainland campuses, and is Local 26 of the Canadian Federation of Students.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Anderson, KSA Chairperson
778-386-7684 (cell) or external@kusa.ca (email)
Desmond Rodenbour, KSA General Manager
604-512-4487 (cell) or desmond.rodenbour@kusa.ca (email)