 Media Credit: Gemma Rhodeside
news is always the last sextion to be done. shame shame
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The Post-Graduate Student Society (PGSS) is strongly considering the withdrawal of its membership from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). There has been mounting concern over the federal lobby group’s inability to adequately represent the needs and demands of McGill graduates in Ottawa.
A motion was passed this year at a PGSS council meeting to put the group’s CFS membership on probationary status, and it is possible that students may decide to de-federate from the CFS during the student referendum period held next March.
“The problem is essentially that [the CFS] is a federal lobby group representing provincial concerns,” commented Joe Marin, Financial Coordinator for the PGSS.
According to Marin, there was a general impression among last year’s PGSS executives of an anti-Quebec sentiment on the part of the CFS. He believes that this was a contributing factor to McGill graduates unfair representation in Ottawa.
“Our past executives had problems with CFS representatives, as well,” said Marin.
He commented that the lobby group never seriously considered key demands put forward by the PGSS, and proposed initiatives were never given a fair opportunity for debate.
Since the PGSS first voiced its concerns over poor representation, CFS representatives have made two visits to the PGSS council.
“They visited us back in May, and were very defensive. They accused us of being selfish,” recalled Marin.
In his view, the problems between the two bodies extended beyond ideological grounds.
“There were both personal and bureaucratic problems between us,” said Marin, who noted how the conflicts have carried on throughout the mandates of the two previous PGSS and CFS executive boards.
A report issued last May by the 2001 PGSS Executive Chairperson Aaron Matheson criticized the accountability and professionalism of the CFS. In his report, Matheson cited antagonism by the National Office and At-Large members toward PGSS, along with a failure to effectively communicate with all of its members and follow its policies and organizing principles.
“Repeatedly, the National Executive has failed to return our [PGSS] phone calls and e-mails in spite of repeated attempts on the Quebec component’s behalf to establish contact and to request increased transparency,” Matheson reported.
