CFS attempting to kill UofG's CFS Referendum

Well, so much for "democracy" from the folks at the CFS. No sooner do I post that previous article about all party support for a referendum on the CFS, do I learn of the CFS-O's attempt to squash it like a bug.

No wonder the UofG's NDP pulled out... the article is reposted here in full...

CFS-O referendum denied to student organizers
Posted by The Ontarion On February - 11 - 2010
Written by Daniel Bitonti

According to the chairperson of the Ontario component of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS-O), there will be no referendum held at the University of Guelph in March on continued membership in the federation.

In September, Guelph student organizers had circulated a petition requesting a referendum to be held on membership in CFS-O on March 29, 30, 31. According to CFS-O bylaws, the federation must receive a petition initiating a referendum process six months in advance of the referendum date.

The Ontarion confirmed in October that a process server delivered a package to CFS Ontario on Sept. 29, including the petition and a letter from the University registrar verifying the signatures of 10 per cent of the undergraduate student body, a CFS-Ontario de-federating requirement.

But CFS-O bylaws stipulate that petitions must be delivered by registered mail.

Shelly Melanson, CFS-O chairperson, told the Ontarion on Tuesday that the Guelph petitions had arrived by registered mail on Nov. 9.

“Any petition that is going to initiate a referendum process must be received six months prior to the date of the referendum. Because this petition failed to meet the notice provision under Article 5 bylaw 2, the petition is not in order,” said Melanson.

Melanson also explained there had been problems verifying signatures and student numbers on the petition, a problem that currently mirrors the situation with the University of Guelph petitions sent to CFS-National.

In October, Gavin Armstrong, the CSA’s communications and corporate affairs commissioner, told the Ontarion, “that it would be very poor of CFS-Ontario to deny the petition based on the fact that it was served by a process server and not registered mail.”

“We are currently looking into our options and into the bylaws,” Armstrong told the Ontarion on Wednesday.

UPDATE: Looks like it's not the first time that the CFS has used dirty tricks to attempt to stifle any sort of democratic review of a school's membership in their organization.