The Martlet

MONTREAL (CUP) — The Canadian Federation of Students Quebec branch (CFS-Q) has released a reform package aimed at keeping schools in the wider federation.

The package comes as a response to petitions from students at 13 schools across Canada to leave the national lobby group, but it has gotten the branch in hot water with CFS’ head office.

The lengthy reform package, composed of three sections, contains a series of motions to be presented at the CFS’ upcoming semi-annual general meeting in November.

It calls for the overhaul of the organization’s financial disclosure system, the sale of the CFS’ service component and the disclosure of the federation’s past and present legal proceedings.

“If the CFS is serious about reform, this package should be enough to convince a lot of unions that leaving isn’t a necessary step,” said CFS-Q treasurer Andrew Haig, who helped draft the reform package. “But we got how serious [the national CFS] were when two days after announcing the reforms, we got a letter declaring us persona non grata.”

The initial announcement of a forthcoming reform package, made by CFS-Q president Gregory Johannson, was met by a letter from the CFS’ lawyer.

In the letter, the CFS’ legal counsel declared that the Quebec branch was no longer a member of the CFS due to being “engaged in activities which have caused and continue to cause damages to the CFS.”

The letter also stated that CFS-Q could no longer collect student fees and would need to stop using the organization’s name.

“They say they are threatening us because we are harming the federation, but how can you say the rights of the members as spelled out in the constitution are in conflict with the interests of the federation?” said Johannson.

Haig confirmed that he, along with the other executives, helped to collect signatures for defederation referenda from Concordia and McGill students.

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