Canadian Federation of Students
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| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this article is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [  The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is the largest student organization in Canada. Founded in 1981, the CFS works for high quality, accessible post-secondary education at the federal level and provincial levels (in the provinces in which it has sections). It represents over 500,000 full-time and part-time students from eighty college and university students' unions across the country.
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HistoryThe Federation was formed in the early 1980s from two organizations NUS and AOSC in an effort to create a united student movement in Canada that was both national and provincial and that provided political representation and student-oriented services.Several student governments left the CFS in the early 1990s expressing displeasure over the organization's political stances, particularly its opposition to the Gulf War, and its involvement in other issues, which some argued were outside the purview of student politics. As well, several of the student governments who left argued that the CFS's advocacy of "zero tuition" was unrealistic, and its emphasis on organizing political demonstrations rather than lobbying governments was detrimental. In 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Students Associations was formed by several student governments dissatisfied with CFS. CASA today has 18 member organizations. They also claimed the CFS was too busy promoting other campaigns, instead of fighting rising tuition, and felt that CFS was an ineffective organization, not serving the needs of students.[link] Since then, the CASA and CFS have not been on the best of terms, spliting student representation in Canada effectively in two. [link] In addition, CFS has been accused of being too close to the New Democratic Party (NDP). [link] Conversely, CASA has been accused of being too close to the Liberal Party of Canada.[link] Some of the students' unions have since rejoined the CFS, resulting in an increase of membership by 100,000 students. Returning members included the undergraduate student unions at Carleton University and the University of Windsor, and the gradute students at Queen's University. In 2002, the University of Toronto Students Administrative Council, Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students and Scarborough Campus Students Union joined the organization. At the November 2005 Annual General Meeting of the Federation, the results of the positive-result referenda at both University of Manitoba Students' Union and the University of Saskatchewan Students' Union were ratified. In 2005, students the Edmundston Campus of Universite de Moncton, Thompson Rivers University, part-time students at Laurentian University, graduate students at the University of New Brunswick and more also became prospective members. In the past ten years, the CFS has organized a series of actions to complement its lobbying of provincial and federal governments. In 1995, over 100,000 students came out to oppose the Liberal federal government's plan to introduce "Income Contingent Loan Repayment". In Ontario, the CFS organized a series of demonstrations to protest the former Progressive Conservative government's deregulation of tuition fees and reduction of provincial funding. In British Columbia, it played an active role in convincing the former NDP government to introduce tuition fee freezes and reductions. They have been accused of being too close to the Glen Clark government in BC, and harassment of any union that tries to leave CFS.[link] Conversely, CFS's defenders argue that it was the federation that convinced the Clark government to institute a tuition freeze, and that the CFS's view is that the only legitimate way for a student union to disaffiliate from CFS is through a referendum of the student body, rather than by a decision of the student government or a vote in student council. ServicesAlthough essentially the same organization, CFS-Services is a separate branch of the Federation, responsible for the numerous services it offers. The main branch of CFS-Services is Travel CUTS (Canadian University Travel Service), through which the CFS offers members discounted flights, and issuing the International Student Identity Card (which members receive for free). Other services include the Student Work Abroad Program and [Homes4Students], an online housing service. The organization also produces the Studentsaver Discount Card for members, and operates the National Student Health Network, a non-profit health insurance provider operated through Green Shield. Current issuesIn 1999, the University Students' Council at the University of Western Ontario filed suit against a subsidiary of the CFS called CFS-Services over Travel Cuts. [link] The lawsuit has since been resolved out of court. In 2002, three students' unions at the University of Toronto voted to join the Federation. The University of Toronto Students' Administrative Council and the Scarborough Campus Students' Union represent over 48,000 students and had never been part of a national students' union before. The Association of Part-Time Undergraduate Students had previously left the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance. In 2003, the graduate students at Memorial University of Newfoundland voted to join the Federation, making Newfoundland the only province where all public college and university students' are members of the CFS. Newfoundland has the lowest tuition fees in English-speaking Canada. Tuition fees were reduced by 25% in the 1990's and have been frozen ever since. The current Conservative government has pledged to keep the freeze in place until the end of their mandate in 2008. The Ryerson Students' Union considered holding a referendum to leave the CFS. A motion was served to the council of the students' union in summer 2004 by former President Dave MacLean, despite his election promises to work with the CFS. It narrowly passed by one vote, without any representatives of the Federation being allowed to be present. The RSU never served notice to hold a referendum, and the decision of council was overturned at the union's Semi-Annual General Meeting in autumn 2004. The vote to overturn was carried 122 in favour to 22 opposed.[link] In 2004-05, CFS-Ontario led a lobbying campaign designed to convinced the provincial commission on higher education, chaired by former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae, to recommend a complete tuition fee freeze. The Rae commission did not take CFS's advice, but the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty established a two-year tuition fee freeze for all domestic students in college and university. In 2005, CFS-British Columbia, the Langara Students' Union and the Corus Entertainment owned radio station C-FOX led a "non-partisan" campaign registering young voters in BC called Rock the Vote BC, based on campaign drives used by the Republican and Democratic parties in the 2004 US Election to register young voters. Elections BC did not endorse the initiative because of concerns of partisanship.[link] in 2006 CFS-Services recently settled with three student societies (including the Alma Mater Society of BC and the Western Student Union) for an amount of under 3 million dollars including over 250 000$ of legal fees. The case that has been undergoing since the mid nineties alleged that the CFS and/or CFS-Services innapropriatly transferred Travel Cuts from a former student organisation. Current membersNew Brunswick
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Québec
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador
Student Unions that have left CFS
ControversyA 1998 article in the Simon Fraser University student newspaper The Peak accused CFS of being corrupt, bloated, Ontario-centred, and a form of clique, with their people getting jobs in the NDP or Liberal governments.[link]In 1998 Current executive director of CFS-Services Philip Link (former National Director 1990) was previously charged for assaulting (but acquitted) Miss Lana Many-Grey-Horses in 1998 after she allegedly criticised the CFS for not doing enough to aid aboriginal students [link]. Mr Lank was also convicted of assault in December of 1989. The CFS has investigated charges of racism against Mr Link [link]. A 2005 article in The Peak suggests that the CFS provided a $100,000 bailout to the Douglas Students' Union after its bank accounts were nearly empty and questions raised in regards to potential mismanagement. They had not done a financial audit for three years and failed their most recent one because the auditor could not verify records. At press time the CFS had not commented. [link] External links! style="background:#ccffff" align="center" width="100%" | || |- | align="center" style=font-size: 70%;" colspan="4" | Student Unions |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="4" | Acadia | Alberta | Algonquin | Athabasca | Bishop's | British Columbia | Brock | Calgary | Carleton | Lethbridge | Manitoba | McGill | McMaster | UNBC | Ottawa | Queen's | Ryerson | St. Francis Xavier | Saint Mary's | Saskatchewan | Simon Fraser | Toronto | Victoria | Waterloo | Western | Wilfrid Laurier | Windsor | York |- | align="center" style=font-size: 70%;" colspan="4" | School Memberships |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="4" | ANSSA | CASA | CAUS | CFS | CSA | NBSA | OUSA
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