James Clark recently published an article in the Ryerson Free Press entitled “Manufacturing Crisis:” a clumsy attempt to refute the existence of an organized, national push to defederate from the Canadian Federation of Students.

He opens the article with a quote from Mark Twain: “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” We suppose the implication is that Erin Hale’s article in the McGill Daily last month (along with articles written by dozens of student journalists since she broke the story) is somehow completely unfounded. In fact, Clark goes on to assert that this highly-publicized “rumour” is part of a wild conspiratorial plot by the far-right.

Twain said something equally poignant that Mr. Clark might want to take note of: “get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.” We’ll overlook the blatant ad hominem attacks (towards Brandon Wallingford, Dean Tester, Erin Hale…) and move on to the point:

James Clark is simply wrong.

We’re sorry to break it to you, but a national movement against the CFS is alive and well. Four petitions (Trent, Guelph, Carleton and Western) have already been delivered to CFS-Ontario by bailiff. We’re quite sure more are on the way.

Furthermore, we take offense to the allegation that the petition drive (the one that supposedly doesn’t exist) is “the activity of a small number of conservative dissidents.” As activists from across the left spectrum (from anarchists to social democrats), many of us collecting signatures of our own, we feel it’s about time we came out against the CFS too.

We don’t agree with the right on much, but scandal is scandal, corruption is corruption, and bullshit is bullshit, no matter where you stand politically. The CFS has alienated real activists by highjacking our campaigns, stamping glossy brands on our hard work, and attracting bad press across the country. So here’s the truth. The real student movement can’t be put on a pin or a sticker, can’t be sold to us in a bus ad, and can’t hide behind superficial and obsolete rhetoric. The CFS has been a driving force behind the active and ongoing co-optation of legitimate social justice organizing for too long. We’re fed up.

While masquerading as activists, they close journalists out of meetings, litigate ruthlessly against their critics, attempt to quash a democratic referendum process (anti-petition petitions? seriously?) and sell shamelessly corporate CFS-Services contracts to our unions behind closed doors. Don’t blame journalists–the CFS “manufactured a crisis” for themselves. While quick to pay lip service to marginalized and disenfranchised communities, evidence of actual progress is hardly forthcoming. It’s clear to us that the CFS is more interested in profit and self-preservation than any of the progressive, democratic values they espouse. The irony, of course, is that for all this talk of a united “Student Movement™” arguably the most open-source, multi-partisan and member-driven one we’ve seen has been against the Canadian Federation of Students.

Moreover, we consider the adoption of progressive campaigns by the CFS deeply problematic regardless of whether or not we agree with their stance. The reason is simple: the CFS has a clear mandate to provide a voice for all students–on student issues–at the federal level, and no matter what we think about Palestine, copyright, gender, Cuba, abortion, or land claims it is unrepresentative to speak for all students on such divisive issues. Some of us have dedicated our lives to these causes, but it’s inappropriate for a federal lobby organization to adopt these campaigns while matters of urgent importance to all students (rising tuition, accessibility, corporate control of university bodies, declining subsidies) go completely untouched.

This isn’t a question of right versus left; we’re happy to work together if we share common goals, and initiating a democratic referendum process is one of them. There are some things we can all agree on regardless of ideological differences: freedom of speech, freedom to dissent, and freedom to vote on where our money is going.

And to our sisters, brothers and lovers on the left who are not yet convinced, we implore you to do some serious research and introspection. To quote Margaret Mead, “what people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things.” Wake up: we’ve been sold a lie.

In solidarity (but for real),

Lex Gill (CFS Referendum Petition Coordinator – Concordia University)
Jos̩ Barrios (CFS Referendum Petition Coordinator РUniversity of Victoria)Erik Chevrier (Concordia-Grad Student, Montreal Students Against Tuition Increase)
Beisan Zubi (Concordia University)
Aly Stillman (Concordia University, staff at the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy)
Yves Engler (author of the Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy)
Bianca Mugyenyi (ex Deputy Chairperson of CFS-Q, 2110 Centre)
Elona Ritchie (ex-Concordia student)
Craig Steinback (University of Western Ontario)
Marley Sniatowsky (Dawson College)
Jonathan Weber (Vice-President External, University of Ottawa Engineering Students’ Society)
Houda Souissi (University of Ottawa)

…By the way, if anyone else is paying attention, Nora Loreto, Editor-In-Chief of the Ryerson Free Press is also listed as the Treasurer of CFS-Ontario (but maybe she’s Communications?). Big coincidence, eh?

This letter was first published at http://cfswtf.wordpress.com/ on October 15.