Concerns about KSA and B.C. student unions discussed in provincial legislative assembly

The Kwantlen Student Association was brought up in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia’s committee of supply meeting on April 8, where Critic for Post-Secondary Education Korky Neufeld discussed students’ concerns about the student union. 

During his statement to Anne Kang, minister of post-secondary education and future skills, Neufeld mentioned the KSA as well as the Langara Student Union (LSU) while discussing how the provincial government needs to be doing more to address student union misconduct in B.C. 

“What is happening at these student unions is that staff members who have control of their finances, and nobody’s checking on it, are loaning money to their friends without any payment back. And that’s on the backs of our students, because our students have to pay the fee,” Neufeld said during the meeting.

“[Students] have no choice [but] to pay the fee, but they’re not getting their bang for their buck. And these two groups especially are reckless.” 

In an interview with The Runner, Neufeld said he’s received several emails and had many conversations regarding the KSA and LSU over the past few months. 

He’s heard concerns about the election process of local student unions, he said, adding that “it’s almost like people are getting hand picked by staffers to get like-minded people [in], blocking others from being involved.” 

“That really hits democracy at its core. I think anytime anybody interferes with any type of election process, that’s a concern, because if it starts there, where could it end?” 

He also said he’s heard concerns about the amount of student fees collected by student unions, often amounting to millions of dollars, and the lack of oversight on how the money is spent. 

“Some of these staff members in these student unions get paid as much as an MLA, and that’s on the backs of our students and student loans,” Neufeld said during the committee meeting. “It is absolutely reckless, and something needs to be done.”

Student unions in B.C. are governed by the Societies Act, which is legislation that oversees the creation and operation of non-profit organizations. Under the act, there is no mechanism to hold student unions accountable, Neufeld said. 

“When you collect student fees, it’s [often] on the back of student loans, and if you’re not using those funds for students’ betterment, then you’re just adding to the unaffordability of students to be able to afford post-secondary — and that’s a concern,” he told The Runner. 

In the legislative assembly, Neufeld presented several remedies to hold student unions accountable, which included the premier asking the B.C. auditor general to perform full audits of student unions for the past five years, amending the B.C. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to cover student unions, and the premier launching a public inquiry into the structured powers of B.C. student unions. 

Creating a new standalone B.C. student societies act and capping student society staffs’ salaries, expenses, bonuses, and overtime were also among the recommended remedies. 

Neufeld said that issues with B.C. student unions have been on the province’s radar for the past decade, but no one has taken action. 

“I wanted to bring it at least to [the Ministry of Post-Secondary’s] attention,” he said. “I wanted to bring awareness to the public and also to the students that somebody is actually asking the questions regarding this.”

The Societies Act falls under the Ministry of Finance’s purview, but Neufeld said he plans to explore what leeway he has, if any, in handling student unions in the province. He also hopes to see the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills take the concerns surrounding student unions to the Ministry of Finance. 

In an email statement to The Runner, the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills wrote that while it doesn’t have authority over organizations governed by the Societies Act, it is “closely monitoring these situations.” 

“Our Ministry is concerned about allegations made against the Kwantlen Student Association (KSA) regarding governance and financial mismanagement of the society,” the ministry wrote. 

“Student societies play an important role in providing students with opportunities and support throughout their time at a post-secondary institution. We believe they should always represent the interests of the general student body.”

The Runner reached out to KSA Executive Director Timothii Ragavan and President Paramvir Singh for a comment. They did not respond before publication.