On Campus

Judge orders CFS referendum for UVic

Students could vote on membership this spring

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled that a Canadian Federation of Students membership  referendum will take place at the University of Victoria. In 2009, a petition signed by 10 per cent of University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) members calling for a referendum was presented to the CFS. In response, a counter-petition was circulated, and some students signed both. The CFS argued that duplicate signatures were invalid and refused to agree to a referendum, prompting the UVSS to take the case to court.

In his Feb 1 ruling, Justice Malcolm Macaulay concluded that it was the counter-petition that was invalid. “The national executive of the CFS invoked a process that was not contemplated by the bylaws in effect at the time and, as a result, applied an irrelevant consideration in determining that the petition was not in order. The adoption of a process outside the bylaws amounted to an excess of jurisdiction,” he wrote.

The UVSS hopes to hold a referendum this semester.

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