Background
The Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill (QPIRG) is a non-profit organization funded by student fees that researches and supports environmental and social justice issues at McGill and in the greater Montreal community. CKUT is McGill’s student-run radio station. Every five years, both QPIRG and CKUT must ask students at McGill to support the organizations, providing them money and allowing them to negotiate Memoranda of Agreement with the university to operate on campus. Through this system, McGill University collects money from every student every term and provides it to QPIRG and CKUT.
QPIRG traditionally had an opt-out system, where people who did not want to support the organization could request a refund. A few years ago, McGill University unilaterally created an online opt-out system where students could choose not to support student initiatives, which caused many to opt-out, often due to economic need.
Referenda
QPIRG and CKUT submitted referenda question to the Students’ Society of McGill University in November 2011 that would reaffirm McGill students’ continued support for their existence while ending the online opt-outs. Both passed with wide margins.
Do you support QPIRG continuing as a recognized student activity supported by a fee of $3.75 per semester for undergraduate students, which is not opt-outable on the Minerva online opt-out system but is instead fully refundable directly through QPIRG, with the understanding that a majority “no” vote will result in the termination of all undergraduate feel-levy funding to QPIRG?
CKUT’s question was functionally identical.
Opposition
In January 2012, two challenges were launched against the referenda.
The Administration announced that it would not recognize the questions as legitimate, alleging that by both renewing the organizations’ mandates and ending the online opt-out system, the questions posed were unclear.
At the same time, the Judicial Board heard a case brought by two students submitted after the referenda passed in November. The Judicial Board is a body of the SSMU that examines and rules on complaints of misconduct. The students only contested QPIRG’s referendum question, not CKUT’s even though they were equivalent.
#6Party
20 students threw a surprise resignation party in the offices of the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) for six days to pressure the Administration to recognize the student referenda. To read more about this action, go to #6Party.
Annulment
The Judicial Board ruled that the QPIRG question was unconstitutional. The SSMU constitution requires that referenda questions only concern one issue. QPIRG argued that the number of opt-outs was so large that it posed a serious threat to their continued existence. The Judicial Board stated that they found QPIRG’s evidence credible and its concerns legitimate, but that because a “reasonably informed” voter did not understand QPIRG’s financial situation, phrasing the question in the way QPIRG did posed an unreasonable burden on students.
The Administration similarly announced that they would use the referenda questions of CKUT and QPIRG to reauthorize the existence of the organizations but would continue to allow online opt-outs.
After the Judicial Board invalidated the QPIRG referendum, the Administration refused to allow it to stand.
Additional Referenda
CKUT ran a referendum question to attempt to regain control over its opt-out system. It failed, gaining 42% of the vote.
QPIRG ran another referendum question to get student authorization to continue its work. It passed by a large margin.
More Information
To read more about the work the Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill does, go to their website.
To learn more about CKUT, go to their website.
To listen to CKUT’s programming, go to their website or turn the dial to 90.3.
Normal McGill 