CFS Campaigns

The UTGSU is a member of the provincial and national levels of the Canadian Federation of Students. The CFS is a core part of the student movement and provides research, lobbying and membership mobilization tools for all students to organize for a strong post-secondary education sector and a more socially-just world.

No individual students’ union, no matter how big or active, has the resources or the political leverage on their own to effectively influence the post-secondary education policies of the provincial and federal governments. It’s also more cost-effective for a large number of students’ unions to pool their resources and to work in partnership than for each to undertake this work alone.

Founded in 1981, the Federation’s principles are still as true today as they were decades ago:

1. to organise students on a democratic, cooperative basis in advancing our own interests, and in advancing the interests of our community;
2. to provide a common framework within which students can communicate, exchange information, and share experience, skills and ideas;
3. to ensure the effective use and distribution of the resources of the student movement, while maintaining a balanced growth and development of student organisations that respond to students needs and desires;
4. to bring students together to discuss and cooperatively achieve necessary educational administrative, or legislative change wherever decision-making affects students;
5. to facilitate cooperation among students in organising services which supplement our academic experience, provide for our human needs, and which develop a sense of community with our peers and other members of society;
6. to articulate the real desire of students to fulfil the duties, and be accorded the rights of citizens in our society and in the international community;
7. to achieve our ultimate goal: a system of post-secondary education which is accessible to all, which is of high quality, which is nationally planned, which recognizes the legitimacy of student representation, and validity of student rights, and whose role in society is clearly recognized and appreciated.

The UTGSU Vice-President External, external@utgsu.ca is your direct contact with the Canadian Federation of Students.

Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario

Canadian Federation of Students-National

National Graduate Caucus

The Graduate Caucus is composed of individual members and member local associations within the Canadian Federation of Students who have a common interest and concern with graduate student issues. The Caucus provides a forum for the exchange of information and ideas between graduate students and member local associations in order to promote the interests of graduate students to the provincial government and other external authorities whose jurisdiction affects graduate student affairs. Graduate students also join together with over 500,000 students across the country to lobby on issues of concern to all students such as tuition fees, student debt, research and core funding to post-secondary institutions.