Eye on the National Student Movement: January 10, 2018 issue

News January 10, 2018
This story originally appeared in our January 10, 2018 issue.

1. The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) held its semi-annual general meeting from November 17 to 20, 2017 in Gatineau, Quebec; student delegates from the Camosun College Student Society attended. At the meeting, the CFS denied a motion that would have allowed students to be able to view the financial audit detailing over $260,000 withdrawn from an unauthorized bank account between 2010 and 2014 by former CFS staff members. CFS treasurer Peyton Veitch was not available for comment before deadline; Veitch called the former CFS employees’ actions “reprehensible” in a Nexus story from July 2017. At the meeting, motions were passed that support the National Our Turn Student Action Plan, a student-led strategy to end sexual violence and to support survivors. A motion was also passed to donate student money to natural disaster relief efforts in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

2. The British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS) is still holding over $200,000 of Camosun students’ CFS fees. The BCFS is holding these fees because the CFS owes the BCFS money; the CFS says the BCFS has no right to be holding Camosun students’ money. The Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) gave the CFS fees to the BCFS; the BCFS and CFS are separate legal entities. BCFS chairperson Simka Marshall did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperon for the CFS confirmed that the BCFS has not remitted the money to the CFS.