KSA representatives meet with Conservative MP Watts

Discuss funding, transit, and a potential youth council

The Kwantlen Student Association’s latest lobbying efforts included meeting with Conservative MP for South Surrey-White Rock, Dianne Watts. At the meeting, they discussed education funding, transit priorities, a youth council, and a number of other issues pertaining to students. Alex McGowan, the KSA’s vice-president external, represented the organization at the meeting, which was at the end of January.

“The Liberals made a promise to massively increase that program and I wanted to reiterate [its] importance, along with transit priorities, student housing/general affordability, and opportunities for students and youth, which came up more organically,” explains McGowan.

Lobbying is a significant portion of the KSA’s budget. The lobbying portion of the budget covers coalitions, conferences, and meetings like the one McGowan held with Watts. The budgeted amount for all lobbying expenses in 2015 was $194,202, $162,440 of which was spent, according to unaudited financial statements. For 2016, the budget for lobbying has been reduced to $109,300.

The KSA currently lobbies for lower tuition, increased public funding for post-secondary education, and transit improvements, among other causes. McGowan is making a point of working to meet as many of the region’s MPs as possible, to allow opposition leaders to hold the current federal account for the promises made to student organizations during the election campaign last year.

One such promise is the expansion of transit systems across the country was another promise made by the Liberal government, that McGowan suggests is key.

“Specifically in the south of Fraser, it’s important for students to get better transit. I’ve made a point of bringing this issue up with whoever I can meet with to drive home the need to have more federal funding for the light rail and buses in the region.”

Although the KSA lobbies on an ongoing basis, McGowan says, “It’s always hard to predict what will happen [as an outcome]. The big ones are student housing—the province is not letting the university build housing on campus, so we’re working to get legislation changed to allow for this. As well, upgrading transit routes [upgrading the 319 bus route to a B-Line], reducing interest rates on student loans, and working on a $100-million needs-based grant program to support students who need it.”

In the past, KSA lobbying efforts have resulted in things like the U-Pass (in collaboration with other student organizations), the development of the 301 bus route, and the ongoing lobby for more post-secondary funding.

McGowan suggests that collaborations with other lobbying groups, as was done with the U-Pass, “are a multifaceted thing, often taking the form of sit-down meetings where relationships are built. It’s important that we are able to advocate on behalf of students, so when certain issues come up we need politicians to reach out to us in order for the government to craft good policies.”

“Part of this meeting was to build that relationship,” he explains. “Lobbying is a fundamental aspect of what we do for students, and I understand that it can be hard to see the benefits, especially right now when we haven’t seen a win in this particular year. But, it’s definitely more of a long term project.”