Together We Are The Difference

I am now back at home (Halifax) from the conference I have been attending this week for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA).

From my earlier posts it is evident that the conference was made of two parts: lobbying and our annual general meeting. We ended our lobby sessions with Members of Parliament, Senators, and staff on Thursday. The meetings all proved to be effective and are sure to gain momentum to further enhance the post secondary education system in Canada.

Below is a list of all the people whom I had the opportunity to meet with over the past week (please note that CASA was able to secure meetings with over 160 government officials and with the leaders of all national political parties):

- Mr. Wayne Marston (NDP)

- Dr. Carolyn Bennett (L)

- Ms. Anita Neville (L)

- Mr. Bill Siksay (NDP)

- Mr. Alan Tonks (L)

- Senator Terry Mercer (L)

- Dr. Michael Ignatieff (L)

- Senator James Cowan (L)

- Senator Leo Housakos (C)

CASA was also able to secure a meeting with Elections Canada for all of the student unions across the country which encountered voting issues for students in the fall federal election. This meeting was a great opportunity to gain insight from Elections Canada and to also further explain the obstacles which students faced and how we can work to overcome them in the future. An additional meeting has been discussed for several student unions and Elections Canada to address some of the communications issues which were faced.

On Friday and Saturday CASA held its Annual General Meeting. The agenda included National Director presentations and the election. Congratulations to Arati Sharma who has been selected as our new National Director (it should also be noted she is the first female ND for CASA). On Saturday presentation sessions were held to review our board and regional coordinator structure, constitution presentation, budget presentation, and our closing plenary. The presentation went well and allowed for delegates across the country to gain a better understanding of where the organization is moving to and to have their voices heard in those decisions.

Overall this conference has been a highlight of my term as President for the DSU and also a highlight as my time as a university student. The DSU has been part of CASA since 1995 and we want to make the future of post secondary education and the country better. We know that working together will get us there and we continue to enlighten ourselves on the obstacles our students face. Throughout the past week I have had the opportunity to learn more about the struggles of students across the country and I trust that the leaders around the CASA table (and future member schools as well) will continue to be a strong and respected voice and partner throughout Canada.

Tomorrow morning (Monday March 30th) I will be on Breakfast Television here on the East Coast discussing the conference and the issues that Canadian students are currently facing - I hope you will tune in!