SFU student union says tuition hikes violate int’l law; tattling to UN

BURNABY, B.C. (CUP) — The Simon Fraser University student union is making what it calls a human rights complaint against the Canadian government, charging raising tuition fees violates international law.

The complaint, endorsed by the Canadian Federation of Students, cites an article of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which states: “Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education.” Canada signed on to the United Nations treaty August 19, 1976.

According to the Simon Fraser Student Society, the federal government is not only failing to live up to its commitment, but is getting farther away from its realization.

“The student society has always been for the reduction of tuition fees,” said board member Kevin Tilley. “When it came to our attention that the UN had that position as well, we figured it meant there must be something to it. What better way to make the argument that tuition fees have to be eliminated than to refer to international law?”

The student union’s Tuition Action Coalition, led by Tilley, has submitted the complaint to members of the federal and British Columbia governments in hopes it will be brought up in parliament and the legislature.

Jurisdiction may become an issue, as the treaty is only binding at the federal level while each province deals with education.

But Tilley sees this as an opportunity to broaden the scope of blame.

“Ultimately the chain of events would have to start with the federal government increasing transfer payments to the provinces and the province increasing their grants to the individual institutions,” Tilley said. “The idea is that the UN would put some pressure on the government to initiate that process.”

Bill Siksay, the NDP member of Parliament for Burnaby-Douglas, voiced his support for the complaint, saying it was important to address the issue federally. He said he would bring it up during a debate in the House of Commons.

“If we’re going to sign international agreements, then we need to pay attention to what they say,” Siksay said. “Clearly in this case Canada has been doing the exact opposite of what’s called for in the agreement.”

-Mayana C. Slobodian

The Peak (Simon Fraser University)