The Canadian Federation of Students could lose 30 per cent of student membership, with over 150,000 students in 13 student unions across the country fighting to hold defederation referendums.

The CFS has sanctioned referenda for two member unions: the Post-Graduate Student Society at McGill and the Alberta College of Art and Design Student Association. Four other student unions plan to hold referenda without CFS approval.

According to Adrian Kaats, a McGill student who recently resigned as CFS-Q chair, problems have surfaced with the CFS about referendum voting procedures.

“The CFS, likely after reading our referendum exit report which explained that it took three days of voting to reach quorum (five per cent), insists that we only have two days of voting,” Kaats wrote in an email to The Varsity. “Our Council and ROC (Referendum Oversight Committee) members will not accept this unilateral decision by CFS to hold a referendum that will almost certainly fail.”

Dave Molenhuis, treasurer for CFS national, told The Varsity he needed to speak with his superior before responding to queries about legal proceedings. As of press time, a CFS representative was not available to comment.

The CFS is applying its new bylaw changes passed in its November 2009 annual general meeting, which forbids more than two referenda from taking place in a three-month period.

“Since they also have six months when no referendums are allowed to take place, only 4 referendums can take place per year, if they are perfectly timed,” wrote Kaats.

McGill plans to hold the referendum from March 29 to April 1. The McGill student union had gone to court for a safeguard and interlocutory injunction, with only the latter granted. At a hearing in May, the union will ask that a judge enforce the results of their referendum.

The Alberta College of Art and Design Student Association will vote from March 30 to April 1.

Other student unions are preparing to take legal action to continue the defederation process.

The Central Student Association of Guelph went to court on March 23 for the second time and won each of its court injunctions. The union expects to hold a referendum in mid-April.

In the case of the Carleton University Students’ Association, CFS claims that a counter-petition, created by students to remove their names from the original petition, has made that petition void.

The Concordia Student Union and Concordia’s Graduate Student Association are also facing obstacles in their referendum efforts. CFS has issued CSU a notice of outstanding fees amounting to a million dollars, and told the GSA it owes $200,000. According to a CFS bylaw, a union can’t hold a referendum unless it has paid all membership fees.

CSU president Amine Dabchy disputes the alleged debt. The CSU has passed a motion to go ahead with the referendum from March 23 to March 25. In response, CFS sent the CSU chair a letter saying that the results of the planned referendum vote will not be accepted.

Likewise, the GSA plans to hold a referendum in the first week of April.

The University of Regina Students’ Union were denied referendum dates by the CFS, but will continue with its referendum on April 1.

Other schools seeking to hold referenda include the Society of Graduate Students at University of Western Ontario, Trent Central Student Association, Glendon College Student Union, Dawson Students Union, University of Victoria Student Society, Graduate Students’ Association at the University of Calgary.

With files from Abdi Aidid