History was made earlier this month when students at the University of Ottawa voted in a referendum to introduce general assemblies (GAs) and make them the highest authority in decision-making for their undergraduate student association, the SFUO. Students voted 66 per cent in favour of the measure, although nearly 800 ballots were discounted due to a technical error. Adding those, the total in favour would have been 76 per cent. This marks the first time a mechanism of direct democracy will be used in student politics in English-speaking Canada.
Concretely, the measure provides for the convening of GAs by the SFUO every semester. This will allow students to participate directly in the design of policies and budgets in their student union, ensuring greater control for the student population. While many student associations, including the Central Student Association at U of G, convene GAs on a semester basis, these serve more as a forum for discussion between student commissioners and the student population than as direct participation.
The model implemented by U of O is fairly popular in Québec, where it rose in prominence during the student strike two years ago. It was during GAs, held in packed gymnasiums in colleges and universities across the province, that students came forward in the thousands to discuss their province’s proposed reforms for higher education and voted to go on a historical strike that eventually struck down the government’s proposed increase of tuition fees. Beyond the strike itself, the liveliness and earnestness displayed by these students left a deep memory, standing in sharp contrast to the cynical and depressing nature of political debate in the formal institutions of power.
The GA campaign was initiated by the uOttawa Marxist Student Association, and sustained by a coalition including the sitting executive members of the SFUO. A first referendum was organized in the fall semester, but despite overwhelming votes in favour of the proposal, was annulled due to insufficient turnout.
This time around, a “No” side also organized itself, gaining the support of both the Conservative and Liberal Party campus associations. This group argued that students had little time or weren’t prepared to participate in politics, and also pointed out that general assemblies failed the first time they were implemented – in Ancient Greece.
In the coming months, supporters of the GA campaign will work on spreading awareness to students to ensure mass participation in this new body. Student participation will be important in order to resist the backlash we are currently witnessing with regards to the accessibility and quality of education, as exemplified by the yearly increases in tuition fees and the $32 million in cuts planned by the administration on this campus.
University is an important environment where youth can gain political consciousness and meaningful experiences taking part in organized collective action. At the University of Ottawa, students will now have the capacity to partake in mass mobilization in support of their interests – and potentially transform the playing field.