1. When Camosun students pay their tuition each semester, $2.25 goes to membership in the British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS) and the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). That fee is collected by the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS), which remits it to the organizations.
However, between 2014 and earlier this year, the CCSS remitted $202,305.11 of CFS fees to the BCFS. The BCFS is holding this money from the CFS because the BCFS claims the CFS owes the BCFS an estimated $1 million. The CFS claims the BCFS has “no authority” to withhold those fees, as Camosun students were told the money was going to the CFS. The BCFS and CFS are separate legal entities. Representatives for both organizations did not respond to requests to comment on this situation.
2. In the spring, the CFS received a petition from Camosun students to begin the process of Camosun students’ defederation from the CFS. The CFS is looking into whether the petition was valid, but even if it is, the next step—a referendum to vote on defederation from the CFS—cannot happen with outstanding CFS fees. That means that, until the BCFS gives the CFS the aforementioned Camosun student fees it’s holding, Camosun students cannot defederate and are paying monthly membership fees to both organizations.