Almost every post-secondary student in Canada must live under some form of democratic student government known as a student union. They are largely incorporated under provincial or federal non-profit legislation.
Student unions allocate students’ pooled resources to organize extracurricular aspects of education. They administer services to improve students’ quality of life.
These services create a social safety net that can be the determining factor in whether a student graduates — for example, by running services like food banks, health insurance and subsidized public transit.
A stereotype exists that student governments act as mere organizers of social events. But student unions in Canada can handle budgets in the tens of millions each year and employ hundreds of paid staff.
Student unions, and student government more broadly, can therefore be considered a level of government that has a consequential impact on how people understand democracy — and how it should be practised.
My doctoral research examined one student union in the context of wider student union politics and developments. This research suggests reforms are needed to ensure unions maintain a high standard of democracy while preserving their autonomy. The importance of student government for the democratic project was affirmed for me through experience over a decade. I participated in student government at both campus and global levels.
Not just interest groups, unions
Student unions also represent students’ collective interests through advocacy. If necessary, they do so through activism. In these ways, they encourage post-secondary institutions and governments to make changes to benefit students.
The influence of student unions elevates them beyond the status of a typical interest group or labour union. They can also be an individual’s first experience with a political system where they have full democratic rights — and get involved with others to have an impact on the world around them.
By contrast, student governments representing secondary or elementary students in Canada largely lack such autonomy. This is true both for school student councils, and also where elected secondary student trustees sit on school boards.
In Ontario, student school board trustees have an independent provincial association that engages in government lobbying. This relies on funding from school boards and requires former student trustees to serve on its board, due to minimum age requirements for directors in the province.
Allegations of mismanagement
However, despite student unions’ vast capabilities and their valuable role in advancing the practice of democracy, there have been recent and ongoing allegations of mismanagement and even corruption. Here is a non-exhaustive list of notable examples:
In 2023, the student union at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) sought $900,000 in damages after alleged wrongdoing by members of the 2021-22 executive team. In 2019, the then-Ryerson student union approved a forensic audit to review nearly $700,000 in “questionable spending.”
In 2018, allegations arose that executives and staff of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) had misappropriated upwards of $20,000 in student funding. The Fulcrum, the University of Ottawa’s independent news outlet, reported that allegations of fraud included questionable funding transfers related to $950 Louis Vuitton glasses and $400 haircuts. In 2019, University of Ottawa students voted to replace the SFUO with an entirely new union.
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In 2011, Kwantlen Polytechnic University students voted to remove 13 directors of its union’s “Reduce All Fees” party. This followed reported misuse of $2 million of student funds.
In 2009, it was reported that the Concordia Student Union was suing a former employee for $363,238.25 due to alleged negligent behaviour.
The Varsity, University of Toronto’s student newspaper, reported that elected executives of the Canadian Federation of Students, the largest student union in Canada, were surprised to find “an unauthorized total of $263,052.80 in deposits and $262,776.13 in withdrawals … made between July 2010 and December 2014’’ in a hidden bank account elected students allegedly did not know about.
In 2012, it was alleged that McMaster Association of Part-time Students staff spent student fees on birthday parties, bridal showers and a vacation to Rome. That same year, the vice-president finance of the University of Regina Students’ Union allegedly forged cheques totalling $700.
Democratic backsliding
My dissertation research exploring the above University of Ottawa case leads me to suggest that these scandals involving public money are the culmination of years of structural democratic backsliding and rising authoritarianism in student unions.
Reports from student government representatives, student journalists and mainstream media have drawn attention to similar concerns, warning of toxic problems that can fuel disillusionment.
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One recurring concern is about unelected student union staff, the equivalent of a student union’s public servants, seeming to have too much power over student representatives and electorates.
Another is an alleged lack of democratic oversight exacerbated by widespread apathy. From 2016-18, Canadian undergraduate student union voter turnout averaged only 21 per cent. Turnout has likely worsened in the post-pandemic world.
The Ontario government’s unsuccessful attempt to make student union membership voluntary instead of mandatory would have only hastened student unions’ democratic erosion — for example, weakening student unions’ capabilities in ways that fuel efforts to replace elected representatives with appointees.
The way forward
Reforms to preserve the autonomy of student unions, while ensuring they maintain a high standard of democracy, could happen through amending legislation governing non-profits.
My research suggests a special student union designation is needed with increased transparency standards. With more democratic safeguards, members would have better tools to alleviate crises.
Student unions should embody the quality of democracy we want to see in the world. How severe must scandals get before policymakers take concerted action?
Justin Patrick's dissertation research was supported by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. From 2022-2024, he served as President of the Global Student Government.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
