The Canadian Federation of Students-British Columbia ("CFS-BC").

The Canadian Federation of Students-British Columbia is British Columbia's provincial students' organization, uniting 150,000 university and college students from eighteen students' unions across the province.

The Canadian Federation of Students-British Columbia is affiliated with the Canadian Federation of Students, Canada's largest students' organization. It is an alliance of more than 80 university and college students' unions, with a combined membership of over one-half million students.

Students in Canada have been represented by the Canadian Federation of Students and its predecessor organizations since 1927.

Members of the Canadian Federation of Students-British Columbia are the individual students at the following students' unions:

Local 03: University of British Columbia Students' Union-Okanagan

Local 75: Camosun College Student Society

Local 05: Capilano Students' Union

Local 73: Downtown Campus Students' Union

Local 18: Douglas Students' Union

Local 33: Emily Carr Students' Union

Local 76: Broadway Campus Students' Union

Local 26: Kwantlen Student Association

Local 61: Malaspina Students' Union

Local 13: College of New Caledonia Students' Union

Local 72: North Island Students' Union

Local 66: Northwest Community College Students' Association

Local 53: Okanagan College Students' Union

Local 86: College of the Rockies Students' Union

Local 04: Selkirk College Students' Union

Local 23: Simon Fraser Student Society

Local 15: Thompson Rivers University Students' Union

Local 44: University of Victoria Students' Society

You've already taken the first step! The Education Shouldn't Be A Debt Sentence campaign is being run locally at the campuses listed above. E-mail questions@debtsentence.ca to learn how you can get involved on your campus or in your community. You can also take action by visiting this area of our website.

In this area of the website, you can make your voice heard.

No. CFS-BC is strictly non-partisan.

It is every advocacy organization's job to critique how the government is measuring up to the political priorities of its membership.

The member students' unions of the CFS-BC vote regularly on the organization's political priorities. As government policy over the last eight years has caused tuition fees and student debt to skyrocket, while per-student funding has declined, members have identified work to reduce student debt and adequately fund our universities and colleges as the main priority of their provincial student organization.

For a student organisation to be successful at influencing government policy it must produce quality research, develop relationships with government, and demonstrate that there is public support for its issues. 

Thorough, accurate and in-depth research is required to justify any proposal presented to government. The Canadian Federation of Students-British Columbia office prepares analyses of government policies and trends within post-secondary education, and develops alternatives to government policy.

The primary purpose of the Federation is to represent students' issues and concerns to government. Regular contact with elected and non-elected officials and bureaucrats is how the Canadian Federation of Students-British Columbia's message is conveyed to government.

In Canada, most post-secondary education financing is provided by the federal government but is administered exclusively at the provincial level. Government policies and priorities determine the quality and accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada. Thus, the Federation employs a government relations strategy that addresses both federal and provincial representatives.

Over the years, the Federation has become a strong presence on Parliament Hill and in provincial legislatures across Canada. Federation representatives meet regularly with elected officials, other government officials and representatives from all political parties in Ottawa and at the provincial level. In addition, the Federation is frequently invited to make presentations to government committees and task forces.

Of course, regular meetings with government and the very best research will have little impact unless the government believes a message has widespread support. The Federation demonstrates this support through the active participation of its members and the general public in activities ranging from petition drives to mass mobilisations. These campaigns raise public awareness of the issues, and correspondingly affect the decisions and policies of government.

DebtSentence.ca is where you have the opportunity to take action on this important campaign and make your voice heard. Every petition signature, every letter to the government, every new campaign volunteer gets us one step closer to demonstrating to the provincial government that it must make post-secondary education a priority and end BC's education debt sentence. So what are you waiting for?