We finally have confirmation from the CFS of what they allege is false in the Excalibur story.
We received the following email today from Ian Boyko, CFS spokesperson:
Every statement about the Canadian Federation of Students in the original post, including the title, is false. The Canadian Federation of Students has not made a donation to CUPE 3903 (“zero dollars”).
As for determining the actions taken by affiliated organizations, you should ask their representatives yourself. The difference between our organization and our affiliates has been explained to you before.
So what he’s saying is that the CFS never gave money to CUPE Local 3093 – “zero dollars.” But, if the Ontario wing of the CFS, the CFS-O, did (and yes, it did), he doesn’t know anything about it. He’s asserting that one organization has nothing to do with the other.
That’s a bit rich.
We’re happy to note that we’re told that the money was provided by CFS-O, but it’s not as is CFS and CFS-O are unrelated organizations. They’re intimately connected and intermingled, which is why they have the same name.
For example, the placards at the pro York-strike rally read “Canadian Federation of Students,” not “Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario.” The two share staff and resources. The recent University of Ottawa referendum was a referendum on joining both the CFS and the CFS-O — you can’t be a member of the latter without also being part of the former. And so on.
If the CFS does not want people to associate it with the actions of the CFS-O, maybe one of the two organizations should change it’s name. It’s like arguing that different franchises of Tim Hortons are not related to one another or to head office. They have the same brand, serve the same product, share resources, and have the same name.
Another question: why is CFS head office so bothered by its association with the donation to the York strikers? Does the CFS have a different position than the pro-CUPE strike position of the CFS-O?