Following the Cape Breton University Students’ Union’s (CBUSU) unsuccessful attempt to leave the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), Brandon MacDonald, a fourth-year student at Cape Breton University, has initiated another petition to end its membership. As of September 19, the petition has gathered over 700 signatures, which is about 30 per cent of the student population.
Although CBU students voted overwhelmingly in favour of leaving the CFS in 2008, the CFS did not acknowledge the referendum on the grounds that it did not comply with its by-laws.
The Superior Court of Justice ordered the CBUSU to pay $295,000 of outstanding dues to the CFS, plus legal fees. The CBUSU filed for bankruptcy in August, 2015.
“I’m hoping by initiating this petition that I can help CBU in the future to avoid a situation like this so that we don’t have to possibly deal with this organization again and we don’t run into this problem in the future,” said MacDonald in an interview with CBC.
With files from CBC News
