Macerollo CFS

OTTAWA (CUP) — TONY MA-

CEROLLO, the clean-cut and dip- lomatic chair of the Canadian Federation of Students, was re- elected leader of the national stu- dent lobby and services group dur- ing its recent general meeting.

Macerollo, who ran unopposed for his second term in office, said the re-election suggests “an evaluation of a job well done to date.”

He vowed to continue work on problems that have long plagued the five-year-old organization, in- cluding voting procedures and deal- ing with “non-educational issues.” Macerollio, whose new one-year term starts in May, could not elab- orate on new goals, saying, “My mind’s a bit fuzzy right now.”

At the same meeting, CFS dele- gates voted to sponsor a “national week of action” to protest post- secondary underfunding.

The January 26 - 30, 1987 protest week will be the climax of “Fund-

Re-elected Chair —

ing the Future”, a one-year lobby campaign. Macerollo said the fed- eration’s 50 member associations will organize individual protests, as well as simultaneous news con- ferences to publicize poor funding for education in Canada.

Macerollo said the federation will have little difficulty organizing the campaign in just over two months.

“All we have to do is help [the members] be innovative about what can go on at the local level,” he said.

The federation’s campaign com- mittee has suggested strikes, ral- lies and sit-ins. Other suggestions include giving local politicians campus tours to illustrate ‘the tangible effects of chronic under- funding, like offices in hallways [and] overcrowded libraries.”

The four main issues of the cam- paign will be student aid, employ- ment, funding, and differential fees for international students.

LOBBY DAY ON PARLIAMENT HILL

A WASH-OUT FOR CFS

By John Gushue Canadian University Press

OTTAWA (CUP) CANADA’S STUDENT LEADERS failed to win significant political points during recent Parliament Hill meetings with representatives of the three major political parties.

More than 100 members of the Canadian Federation of Students, holding a semi-annual general meeting in Ottawa, confronted caucuses of the Liberal, New Demo- cratic and Progressive Conserva- tive parties on November 4, but were given little more than warm promises from the opposition and evasive answers from the govern- ment.

Carefully planned questions, on issues such as student aid, federal- provincial funding arrangements and student unemployment, were delivered to each caucus, though no time was given for follow-up questions or debate.

While the Liberals and New Democrats fielded near-full cau- cuses, with respective leaders John Turner and Ed Broadbent in at- tendance, the Conservatives de- cided to send only Jean Charest, Minister of State for Youth.

Charest headed a delegation con- sisting mostly of backbenchers and bureaucrats. Other ministers with portfolios relevant to students and

youth, including Secretary of State David Crombie and Employment Minister Benoit Bouchard, declined CFS invitations to hear student concerns.

“We're a little disappointed that other parties were able to bring out more of their caucuses,’’ CFS Chair Tony Macerollo told the Tory caucus.

Charest, who answered most ques- tions, talked mostly about student unemployment rates. Macerollo said Charest’s luke-warm answers were riddled with inaccuracies, adding “if Charest thinks he’s pull- ing something on us, he’s sadly mistaken.”

Responses from the Liberal and NDP caucuses, chaired by post- secondary critics Roland de Cor- neille and Lynn McDonald, were marked by enthusiastic yet predic- table answers.

“‘You’re preaching to the con- verted,” said McDonald, adding the Mulroney governmentis better able to fund post-secondary educa- tion and research than it claims.

‘Don’t buy the line we’re living beyond our means. We’re not,” said McDonald. “We spend less on health and education than most [Western] countries — Holland,

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Canada.”

De Corneille, the head of a Liberal task force on post-secondary edu- cation due to report to this month’s national party convention, said Canadian youth face “a very seri- ous crisis” with high unemploy- ment rates, rising fees, and sky- rocketing student aid debt loads.

“More Canadians are seeing that education is not a cost, but an investment,” said de Corneille.

Although opposition MPs were quick to support the federation’s causes during caucus meetings, lit- tle attention was given to student concerns later in the House of Commons.

During question period, McDonald was the only MP to raise any education-related questions. She asked Crombie if the government is considering a solution to rising debt loads.

“T’'ll be happy to meet with [anyone] to deal with the situation,” Crom- bie said.

Many CFS delegates found the caucus meetings futile.

“T thought this was the biggest

ass-kiss of all,” said Chris Spiteri, a student council vice-president at the University of Ottawa.

University of Victoria delegate Keith Piddington described the federation’s performance as “very quiet, muted, and stodgy.”

Piddington said CFS made a poor attempt at attracting media cover- age. “I was looking for something with a bit more spark, a bit more drama, and a bit more fire,” he said.

“They’re going to wonder back home what we’re doing here. I think they’re [CFS] afraid of offending anyone,” he said.

But Allan Sharp, president of the Canadian Association of Univer- sity Teachers, which coached stu- dents on lobbying techniques, said students should not have expected too much to come from the caucus meetings.

“T don’t think debate is an effective lobby tool,” he said. “The crucial thing is that students hear the clear disinformation and the lack of knowledge that exists {in the government]. :

Macerollo, who was re-elected CFS chair during federation meetings, promised to change the lobby for- mat for next year’s meetings.

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