Overview

The Canadian Federation of Students was formed in 1981 to provide students with an effective and united voice, provincially and nationally. At the time, it was recognized that for students to be truly effective in representing their collective interests to the government, it was vital to unite under one banner.

Now with over 600,000 members, represented by more than 80 students’ unions, the Canadian Federation of Students is the voice of post-secondary students in Canada. There are 5 member locals in Manitoba uniting over 42,000 full- and part-time students.

Universities and colleges are funded primarily by the federal government and administered exclusively by the provincial government. As such, government policies and priorities determine the quality and accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada.

Tuition fee levels, students financial assistance programs and funding for research are all set directly or indirectly by both levels of government. It is vital that students collectively organise at the provincial and national levels to ensure students’ rights and concerns are fully represented.

Strength in numbers

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

Through the Federation, students’ unions collectively pool their resources to provide student owned and operated services, such as the Studentsaver discount card, the National Student Health Network, the International Student Identity Card (ISIC) and the Student Work Abroad Program (SWAP).

Decisions made democratically

Each students’ union has an equal voice in setting the policies, direction and priorities of the Federation, including how funds are spent. All major decisions are made at provincial and national congresses (held four times annually) where every member students’ union is represented.