Open Letter to the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS)
BLOG POST posted on May 10, 2012 by farshad azadian
Open Letter to the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS)
Support Quebec Students by Bringing the Movement to Ontario!
To our representatives at the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and affiliated student union locals,
We the undersigned are writing to the CFS as proud student unionists and activists, as well as workers and community members who support the student movement in Canada. We write this letter asking that the CFS engage in a consistent and serious mobilizing effort to bring the Quebec student movement to the rest of Canada.
We believe that this is the best solidarity we can give our sisters and brothers in Quebec. We believe it is the obligation of the elected student leaders to build this movement, and we commit, as rank-and-file students, to support you.
After 12 weeks of strikes against massive tuition hikes, and facing massive police repression and brutality, the student movement in Quebec is forcing the government to budge. This is a heroic example.
We ask that the CFS begin mobilizing for a student strike in Ontario and the rest of Canada. A campaign of mass educationals, solidarity delegations and mass mobilizations should be used to lead up towards a student strike in Ontario. Bring the lessons of Quebec to Ontario.
Quebec has shown, again and again, that the only way to force concession from governments is to mobilize on a mass basis through a strike campaign and confront the government, not with postcards, but with action! Students and youth, as well as the working population in general, have been inspired by the Quebec movement.
We are therefore asking that our representatives at the CFS and affiliated locals immediately begin a campaign for free post-secondary education, and make preparations to carry out a strike ballot in the Fall of 2012.
A massive student movement in Ontario would show the Quebec students that they are not alone. It would strengthen the movement for free post-secondary education across Canada, and it would cut across the divisions created by the pro-business politicians and corporate press to weaken the student movement.
Our response to the race to the bottom; tuition fees across Canada should be immediately lowered to the levels in Quebec, as a step towards abolishing all tuition fees in the country.
Prepare for an Ontario-wide strike vote in the Fall of 2012!
Signed by (email us to sign on):
1. Farshad Azadian, York Federation of Students (YFS) & Fightback (www.marxist.ca)
2. Rashin Alizadeh, University of Toronto Students Union (UTSU) & Fightback
3. Solomon Muyoboke, Ryerson Student Union (RSU) & Fightback
4. Christine Montgomeria-Mione, York Federation of Students & Toronto Young New Democrats (TYND)
5. Jack Humphrey – Graduate Students Union & Fightback
6. Arash Azizi, University of Toronto Students Union (UTSU) & Fightback
7. Jahan Niroomand – York Federation of Students (YFS) and New Democrats of York University (NDYU)
8. Guled Arale – Toronto Young New Democrats (TYND)
9. Simone Akyianu – Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG – UofT)
10. Julian Benson – Fightback & OPSEU local 5108
11. Farid Azadian – Ryerson Students Union (RSU) & Ryerson University New Democrats (RUND)
12. Pedram Moss – York Federation of Students (YFS)
13. Donovan Ritch - Fightback & ATU local 113
14. Jennie Ernewein – Fightback & Ryerson University Alumni
15. Jon Ari – York Federation of Students (YFS) & Toronto Young New Democrats
16. Ahmed Daniyal – Humber Alumni
17. Alejandro Munoz – 4th Year Philosophy Student & York Federation of Students (YFS)
18. Linda Noorafkan – York Federation of Students (YFS) and Undergraduate Political Science Council
19. Mehdi Irani - CUPE 3903
20. Tanesha Darby – York Federation of Students (YFS)
21. Paul Elias – CUPE 3903
22. Aram Keyvani - York Federation of Students (YFS)
23. Sahel Zreik –Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) local 2002
24. Karina Rudenberg – York Federation of Students (YFS)
25. Arman Noory – Afghan-Iranian Youth Network
26. Basel Alchikh-Sulaiman – Ryerson Alumni & Fightback
27. Mobina Basiri – York Federation of Students (YFS) & Co-Chair of New Democrats of York University (NDYU)
28. Tea Celik – York Federation of Students (YFS) & Fightback
29. Mary Berberian – Toronto-Centre NDP & Fighback
30. Amelia Saunders – York University Free Press (YUFP) & York Federation of Students (YFS)
31. Tyler MacKinnon – Etobicoke-Centre NDP & Socialist Caucus
32. Alex Grant – CEP local 2040 & Fightback
33. Camilo Cahis – CEP local 2040 & Fightback
34. Victoria Goldberg - York Federation of Students (YFS)
35. Fadumo Winters - York Federation of Students (YFS)
36. Michael Erickson - Former V.P. External Affairs, YFS & Former CFS-O Constituency Coordinator
37. Jimmy Gutman - Arts Student Senator (McGill) & ONDY eastern organizer
38. Noah Gataveckas - Fightback & Acadia University Alumni
39. Janine Manning - Aboriginal Student Association at York
40. Andrius Ragainis - York Federation of Students (YFS)
41. Ashleigh Ingle - CUPE 3902 & Graduate Students Union (GSU - UofT)
42. Adonis El-Jamal - Students Against Israeli Apartheid-York & Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG-York)
43. Yuri Yarin - CEP local 1996 & Fightback
44. Hariyanto Darmawan - CEP Local 2040
45. Layton Joudrey - Elliot House Chef School (alumni) & I.W.W local 460
46. Ruth Otterman - CUPW Local 548 (Hamilton)
47. Todd Peavoy - CUPW Local 548 (Hamilton)
48. Chris Webb – Graduate Students' Association (York) & Canadian Dimension Magazine
49. George Wynott – Communications at Youth In Solidarity (Facebook.com/YouthInSolidarity)
50. Wai Kiat Tang - CUPE 3902 Delegate, Toronto York Regional Labour Council
51. Mai Taha - Fightback & CUPE 3902 (UofT)
52. Carolyn Shapiro - CUPE 3902
53. Hammam Farah - Students Against Israeli Apartheid at York University
54. Dan Sawyer - Canadian Autoworkers Local 567
55. Tobi Rene Wilczek - International Socialists
56. Awget Ghebrehiwot - CUPE Local 4948
57. Brandon Gray - IWW and Toronto Anarchist Black Cross
58. Alex Conchie - University of Toronto Students Union (UTSU)
59. Constantinos Crekoukias - United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) & Fightback
60. Janet Csontos - The Student School
61 .Corey Ponder - CUPE 3902
62. James Meades - President CUPE 4600/ Vice-Chair Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee
63. Katie Mazer - CUPE 3902 & Graduate Students Union (GSU - UofT)
64. Maya Adavi - Young Communist League (YCL)
65. John Paul Catungal - Graduate Student Association (GSA - UofT) & CUPE 3902
66. Seena Taghavi - York Federation of Students (YFS)
67. Vanessa Beaton - Vice-President Academic Affairs & University of Ottawa Common Law Student’s Association, CUPE 2626
68. Thomas Laughlin - U of T and CUPE 3902
69. Matt Hilder - CUPE 3902
70. Alex Moldovan - GCSU/YFS & York West NDP
71. Chee-Mei Chan - Ryerson Students Union (RSU)
72. Matt Gardner - Queen's University Alumni, University of Western Ontario Alumni & Fightback
73. Ida Zarrabi - University of Toronto Students Union (UTSU)
74. Cam Hardy - UTSU & Platypus Affiliated Society
75. Zahra Shaban - UofT alumni
76. Elise Thorburn - phd candidate University of Western Ontario, PSAC local 610, Greater Toronto Workers' Assembly
77. Shamineh Mavalvala - University of Toronto Alumni
78. Matthew Shultz - VP Campaigns and Community Affairs, Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SPGS) at Queen's University / CFS local 27
79. Revolutionary Students Movement (student division of the PRAC-Toronto)
80. Jack Hixson-Vulpe - York University CUPE 3903
81. Taiva Tegler - External Commissioner, Graduate Students' Association des étudiant.e.s diplômé.e.s, University of Ottawa
82. Matthew Davidson - CUPE 3908 (Trent University)
83. Chris Hurl - VP-External, CUPE 4600, Carleton University
84. Michael Romandel - former student of York and former member of CUPE 3903.
85. John Rose - Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Local 901
86. Christian Scott Martone Donde - McGill University MA Sociology
87. Alexander Brookes - MUNFA (Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association)
88. Katy Fulfer - Western University Graduate Student, President of PSAC Local 610
89. Stephen Peters - McGill Graduate Student
90. Christina Rousseau - Doctoral Candidate at York University; CUPE 3903
91. Kieran Aarons - Instructor, DePaul University & alumni of the University of Western Ontario
92. Jordy Cummings - CUPE Local 3903
93. Tracy Glynn - University of New Brunswick (UNB) Graduate Student Association/CFS Local 67.
94. Mia Bhuiyan - University of Toronto Students Unions (UTSU)
95. Espoir Manirambona - Carleton University Students' Association, Carleton New Democrats
96. Ingrid van der Kloet - CUPE Local 3903, Ontario Nurses Association, Greater Toronto Workers' Assembly
97. Brian Foster- Carleton University, member CUPE 4600, former President and VP Academic of Carleton History Graduate Student Association
98. Danji Buck-Moore - McGill, BA 2012
99. Tracy Glynn - Member of the UNB Graduate Student Association/CFS Local 67
100. Eric Kristmanson - OCAD student
101. Seher Shafiq - University of Toronto Students Union (UTSU)
102. Steve D'Arcy - alumnus, University of Toronto; member, Huron University College Faculty Association
103. Phillip Ilijevski - Former Coordinator, CFS-Quebec
104. Robert Green - High School Teacher (Montreal)
105. Liisa Priyanka Lugus - Patient Advocate; Director of ME/CFS Assist.org; Co-Owner of The Big Carrot; former Concordia student
106. Jennifer Cypher - PhD Candidate, York University
107. Parastou Saberi - PhD student, York University, CUPE Local 3903
108. Tim McSorley - former CFS-Quebec chairperson, 2004-2005, BA, Concordia University, 2006
109. Emmanuelle Lippé - former CFS-Q employee (1999)
110. D’Arcy Butler, Instructor - College of the North Atlantic; former member of CUPE 3903
111. Alison Fisher - member of GSA Local 84, CUPE 3903 and OSSTF D. 12
112. Darryl Richardson - Seneca College student & Toronto Media Co-Op
113. Dylan Chauvin-Smith - University of Toronto Student Union (UTSU)
114. Sarah Hornstein - York University
115. Alex Winterhalt - Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA) & Fightback
116. Stephanie Barton - York University
117. Najimeh Abdorrahimi - Ryerson Social work student (4th year)
118. Arun Smith - Carleton University Students' Association & OPIRG Carleton Board of Directors.
119. Sasha Englert - York University
120. Martial Champagne - York U Nursing student
121. Nyala Adaoha Eboh - York Federation of Students (YFS)
122. Sadia Khan - UofT alumni
123. Rastko Cvekic - CUPE 3902 (UofT)
124. Dominic Dumont - Writing studies in Laval University student, Quebec city
125. Sarah Stanley - Ryerson University
126. Baliqis Olaitan - University Of Toronto Students' Union (UofT)
127. Kailee Howorth- York Alumni
128. Peter Mikhailenko - Occupy Ryerson & Fightback (www.marxist.ca)
129. Sandy Oh - CUPE 3902 (UofT)
130. Nazampal Jaswal - York University
131. Jacob Hodgins, President - Laurentian Students Union (LSU)
132. Wendy Skye - Alumni, Carleton University
To Sign onto this letter, email us with your name and affiliations, at:
The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.