Vote delayed until April; parties back in court Thursday
The Kwantlen Students Association claimed victory after a Friday BC Supreme Court hearing regarding a referendum to leave the Canadian Federation of Students.
The CFS — Canada’s largest student lobby organization — sought to delay a referendum on whether students at Kwantlen University College wish to remain members in the advocacy organization until the fall. However, the court ordered that the vote, that was originally scheduled to begin today, be delayed until April 8 to 10.
RELATED STORY: CFS goes to Supreme Court to postpone membership referendum
The CFS is dealing with simultaneous membership referendums at Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria (graduate students).
Despite the court ordered three-week delay, the Kwantlen Students’ Association (KSA) released a statement Tuesday that said the CFS “failed” in their petition to delay the vote. The release also claimed that the judge strongly disagreed with the CFS on whether it was permissible to post campaign material before official campaign dates. “On the free speech issue, the Judge disagreed strongly with the CFS, and pointed out repeatedly that we live in a free society,” the KSA statement read.
Because the court order has not yet been released, the decision on campaign materials could not be confirmed. The two parties will be back in court Thursday to settle further disagreements, such as the campaign question.
Maclean’s was not able to reach the CFS before deadline. Please check back Wednesday for more information.
Meanwhile, at Simon Fraser University the campaign surrounding membership in the CFS continued with much less drama. The student paper, the Peak, reported a particularly civil debate on the issue last week despite the a majority of anti-CFS students in the audience. Aside from the debate, the campaign in support of the CFS appears to have a larger presence on campus.
The Cape Breton Times reported that Cape Breton University students voted in favour of leaving the CFS last week. 366 students voted 92 per cent in support of cutting ties with the organization, according to the article. However, it is expected that the CFS won’t recognize the referendum since it was not conducted according to the organization’s bylaws for defederation. The Cape Breton Students’ Union reportedly did not serve proper notice to the CFS about the referendum.