Earlier this fall, I learned that two former executive members of Western's Society of Graduate Students (SOGS), Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene, were circulating a petition to initiate a referendum to disaffiliate from the
Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). It's no secret that I am strongly opposed to disaffiliation. I have been very open and honest about my support for student unity through the Federation. Of course, my vocal support for the Federation has made me a convenient
political target for those seeking to discredit and weaken the Federation -- even before I was elected as President of SOGS.
Just as
university presidents are united provincially through the Council of Ontario Universities (
COU) and nationally through the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (
AUCC), and just as
academic staff and faculty are united provincially through the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (
OCUFA) and nationally through the Canadian Association of University Teachers (
CAUT), I believe that graduate students at Western should remain united with other students across Canada and in Ontario through the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and its National Graduate Caucus (
NGC).
With
strength in numbers, we stand the best chance of advancing our interests -- as students -- through government lobbying and grassroots mobilizations. By
working togther with other students' unions, we can advance a progressive agenda for accessible and high quality post-secondary education: for reduced tuition fees, for needs-based grants (not loans and debt), for adequate government funding, and for greater equity in graduate and research funding. And why should we? Because we want nothing less than a vibrant and equitable system of post-secondary education. Because we believe that
education is a right, not a privilege. Because we believe that
education shouldn't be a debt sentence.
Demanding that governments place priority on post-secondary education inevitably creates
political enemies; governments dislike bad media attention and
elite interests prefer to hoard wealth. Certainly, the Federation is a "big tent" organization in which students from all walks of life and political stripes work together for common goals. However, there have always been those whose
partisan allegiances supersede any interest in such common goals. Students' struggles for education and social justice have always been met with resistance. Sometimes that resistance comes from other students; often those other students have a partisan agenda.
For instance, it is now
very well documented that young
Conservative Party activists across Canada, and on various campuses including Western's, are leading the recent attacks upon the reputation of the Canadian Federation of Students. With each passing day, the political strategy becomes clearer and clearer. Hand-in-hand with the petition drives for disaffiliation referenda is a well coordinated
smear campaign. The Conservative Party activists know well that, in politics, repetition is truth; their real agenda is easily obscured with repeated references to "corruption." And so we hear it, again and again -- and again. Eventually, even some of the most critically minded thinkers become believers: "I've heard it so many times! It must be true!"
What, then, might be the
real agenda of the Conservative Party activists? The Executive Director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) recently hit the nail on the head: It's "a desire to cripple one of the most activist, committed and progressive student associations not only in Canada but internationally." Let's state the obvious: The Conservative Party of Canada hopes to win a majority in the next federal election. The Conservatives want maximal power to implement the most
radical right-wing agenda that Canada has ever seen. So, wouldn't that be easier without those pesky kids and their annoying demands as developed and expressed through the Canadian Federation of Students?
Of course it would. Many, if not most, of the Federation's positions stand in direct opposition to the reactionary positions of the Conservative Party. Personally, I think that's
an achievement to be celebrated: For nearly three decades, students in Canada have been building one of the most progressive organizations in the country -- and in the world. We value equality of opportunity, freedom, fairness, and community. We seek to dismantle oppression; therefore, we vigorously oppose sexism, homophobia/heterosexism, transphobia, ageism, ableism, and racism. Does this sound like Stephen Harper's utopia to you?
Returning to Western: My political opponents, Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene, are undoubtedly scheming as I write this. Their next line of attack?
Impeachment. Already there has been submitted a petition to commence proceedings to recall me from the position of SOGS President; an official announcement will likely follow in the very near future. It wasn't enough for them to defame me prior to me announcing my candidacy for the position. Their interference in the election process didn't work, either -- despite their
corrupt collaboration with the Chief Returning Officer as she attempted to invalidate my election. (She failed miserably and then quit.) But Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene have persisted in their attacks.
Why?
Because I support membership in the Canadian Federation of Students. Clearly, they do not. They orchestrated the petition drive for disaffiliation at Western and have also participated in a Facebook group -- created by (
surprise!) Conservative Party activists -- established to "highlight a number of reasons why de-federation is necessary." So, of course, Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene are undoubtedly preparing for a defederation referendum in early 2010. Having me as President might therefore be,
um, inconvenient. Surely they're hoping for minimal opposition as they implement their smear campaign. Even when they're repeated ad nauseam, it's a tad difficult to pass lies for truth when the President routinely de-bunks them.
And so:
Off with my head!Oh, certainly: They won't be honest about their real goals. They'll say that I'm a nasty person. They'll exaggerate their grievances about my missteps. They'll say I'm "unfit."
Lather. Rinse. Repeat. But do not be deceived: The agenda is clear. Jonathan Meyer and Dan Dechene have aligned themselves with the Conservative Party activists who would shatter student unity and who detest the progressive vision of the Canadian Federation of Students. They have no interest in "
reforming" the Canadian Federation of Students: Like the Conservatives, they simply want to smash it to pieces.
I ran to become the President of SOGS because I hoped to return our students' union to a progressive and advocacy-oriented track. For too long, SOGS has served as little more than a lapdog of the administration and a resume-padding paradise for opportunists. SOGS staff often treat graduate students with disdain while a clubhouse clique of insular executives has worked to disenfranchise criticism and progressive voices. From the beginning, I knew that this wasn't going to be easy. I predicted -- even before taking office -- that my opponents would eventually attempt to impeach me. Frankly, I'm surprised it took them this long.