In this latest fracas, the York Federation of Students is accusing two Conservative politicians – federal MP Peter Kent and provincial MPP Peter Shurman – of interfering with York's turbulent student politics.Through a Freedom of Information request, the student federation obtained 50 pages of email exchanges in which assistants for the two politicians, who represent student-heavy ridings north of the campus, repeatedly question university executives about the results of a student council vote this spring.
E-mails reveal Peter Kent and Peter Shurman interfered in student elections
Mon, 2009-07-06 09:49
#1
E-mails reveal Peter Kent and Peter Shurman interfered in student elections
Mon, 2009-07-06 10:03
#2
remind
Unbelievable, seriously!
The head of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) called such high-level exchange "an absolute affront to the democratic process of student government.""I find it bizarre for a federal minister (Kent is Canada's minister of state for foreign affairs in the Americas) to try to interfere in a student election," said CFS chair Shelley Melanson. "If students were concerned about the election process, there are mechanisms on campus for expressing those concerns."
In one email to Tiffin at 2:14 a.m. the night of ballot counting, Kent's special assistant said he was there on campus and was concerned nobody from the university was monitoring the process.
Mon, 2009-07-06 10:22
#3
LOL In moments like this I can only thank them for their arrogance and stupidity.
Mon, 2009-07-06 10:29
#4
remind
One would never know there was a economic melt down going on, as well as serious foreign affairs issues. Frankly that our tax dollars are paying Kent and his team their wages for doing shit like this is an affront.
The point that a small group of people are welding unnatural interference in government processes, and now apparently educational ones, should be well taken.
Mon, 2009-07-06 11:26
#5
Here is the original press release from the student union:
"The York Federation of Students is accountable only to the 44,000 undergraduate students at York University and the Ontario courts," said Saravanamuttu. "University administrators and Conservative politicians interfering in student elections is like an employer attempting to select union representatives. Their objective in silencing opposition is quite obvious here."
Mon, 2009-07-06 11:38
#6
The conservatives are always trying to take over student unions. They were caught red-handed a few months ago strategizing on how to take over student unions in Ontario.
I wonder how right-wing campus media outlets and the clowns at Macleans are going to spin this... probably something about a vast left wing conspiracy in the student movement (something I wish exists some days)
Mon, 2009-07-06 13:06
#7
remind
"I wonder how...the clowns at Macleans are going to spin this... probably something about a vast left wing conspiracy in the student movement"
:D
Mon, 2009-07-06 15:12
#8
Mon, 2009-07-06 15:25
#9
The differences between the Liberals and the Conservatives: The Conservatives try to take over student unions. The Liberals have CASA.
Mon, 2009-07-06 15:35
#10
The diff between federal Liberals and Conservatives on post-secondary funding is negligible
Mon, 2009-07-06 16:02
#11
remind
Another take on it? Seems like the Libs do not want to rock the boat is all.
Tue, 2009-07-07 01:16
#12
At least the provincial Liberals under McGunity helped out students for a few years by freezing tuition after it had sky-rocketed thanks to de-regulation during the Harris years. The early McGuinty years saw the first help for students in Ontario since the Bob Rae years. Unfortunately things are now getting bad for students again in Ontario and McGuinty is becoming more like Harris.
Tue, 2009-07-07 10:07
#13
I don't know, is freezing tuition technically helping out students? It's not lowering tuition, so it isn't technically helping - it's just keeping the status quo, which is actually high to begin with in Canada (when compared to everyone but the States). We're just so used to skyrocketing tuition that it is a bit of a welcome change, but it's not actually helping. If the government is so worried about skyrocketing tuition under Harris, why don't they reduce it to pre-Harris levels instead of freezing it at whatever level Harris/Eves left it at when they were finally shown the door? And this goes not just for the Liberals in Ontario, the NDP is guilty of it as well when they govern. And often tuition freezes allow for a lot of loopholes that university administrators and governments can use to increase tuition through the back door. For example, my tuition increased by 40% while it was supposedly frozen (most of that in one year alone).
And if I remember correctly, tuition increased by over 50% under Bob Rae and he cut a lot of grants as well. And he was responsible for the Rae Report. Bob Rae is no friend of students, no matter what party he is a member of at the moment.