![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/CFS.jpg\")
<\/a>Marshall says that the motions were directed towards the national executive and not the national CFS organization as a whole.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe actions of the national executive, and in particular the at-large members of the national executive, have been counter to the bylaws, the laws that govern the organization, the principles of the federation, and, in some cases, the very purpose of the organization,\u201d Marshall told Nexus<\/i> in a second interview after the CFS-BC meeting. \u201cThe resolutions adopted unanimously at this most recent general meeting aim to resolve the outstanding issues, and those resolutions have weight because BC member local unions are a part of the national organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arte says that she remains \u201ccommitted to continuing to fight for a system of postsecondary education that is equitable and accessible for all\u201d despite these problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents in all parts of the country benefit from a strong national and provincial students\u2019 union,\u201d she says. \u201cWe are disappointed with the tension and division that is being created between some members in BC and other members across the country, but we remain committed to working to resolve any issues that may exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marshall says that members voting at the CFS-BC meeting \u201cunanimously voted to censure Ms. Arte and call for her resignation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe oversaw a fraudulent election which took place at the most recent [CFS] general meeting,\u201d Marshall continues, \u201cand also chaired a special session of the women\u2019s constituency group, at which BC delegates were verbally assaulted, bullied, and harassed. Beyond her other transgressions against the bylaws and principles of the organizations, these aforementioned acts were deemed sufficient to call for her resignation. The additional language asking for the discontinuation of her involvement is to express that BC members would not be satisfied with her simply shifting into a different role on the national executive, nor being given a staff job. It is important to note that in recent months the at-large member of the national executive have been hiring staff without authority or ratification by the national executive, and BC members are not interested in Ms. Arte being given a patronage appointment in the national office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arte insists that not all the information being given about her is accurate. Still, she remains hopeful that the student movement can remain unified and work together.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn a personal level, I find it unfortunate that some folks have felt the need to spread misinformation about myself and other members of the national executive,\u201d she says, \u201cbut I am optimistic that we can move forward together and put our differences behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) executive director Michel Turcotte is also hopeful that despite the challenges, the national student movement can work through its problems. He says that most of the motions passed, many after being debated and amended, and it \u201cmay force a reexamination of the formal relationships between the two organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStudent leaders in British Columbia believe that there has been a shift away from the founding principles of the Canadian Federation of Students and want to consider their options,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Some BC locals of the CFS have said that the national office has not been responsive to their questions and concerns, something that Turcotte says changed during the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the course of the BC general meeting, the national leadership finally reached out to member locals in British Columbia and will likely be meeting with representatives of the CCSS in the near future to discuss our concerns,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
But Marshall says the lack of communication from the national CFS office isn\u2019t helping relations with BC members.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d note that, through informal discussion of the executive committee and with student activists around the province, students in BC are not interested in a protracted back-and-forth with those in the CFS\u2019s national office,\u201d says Marshall. \u201cStudents have asked questions of their national union; they want them answered. Where leaders have committed serious misdeeds by their actions or non-actions, they should step aside. Limited correspondence from the CFS national office indicates that they are attempting to hold BC students, our organizations, and our representatives responsible for disunity across Canada. This distorted perspective is a nonstarter with BC students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arte, however, says that she is willing to talk to those members located in BC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI continue to make myself available to members in BC,\u201d she says. \u201cIf they have questions or concerns I would encourage them to connect with me directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Camosun students are members of the CFS and CFS-BC.<\/p>\n