Asking the hard questions at CASA

By: Cameron Spencer

At the end of November, I attended the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) Advocacy Week, where I was able to speak directly with politicians, changemakers, and stakeholders in Ottawa.

I have been on more trips this year than I have throughout my entire life, but this was the first one that I went alone. As this was also objectively CASA’s busiest and most important conference, it made this trip more daunting. On my nearly 5-hour train ride from Toronto’s Union Station to Ottawa, I spent almost all of it reading over and making notes on each of our advocacy priorities, especially those surrounding student mental health supports, the housing crisis, international student working hours, and open educational resources.

Once I had got myself settled into my hotel —after a tumultuous Lyft ride through Ottawa’s somewhat confusing downtown core —I was able to take a beat and acknowledge that I was in our nation’s capital and would be advocating on behalf of Sheridan’s student population to parties and stakeholders who have the power to change the policies that govern us. It was an insurmountable responsibility to bear alone, but one that I came to appreciate and face head-on during the eventful week.

Our first day was full of welcoming and catching up with other delegates, training sessions geared toward political lobbying, and an abundance of caffeine consumption. Despite how tired and weary everyone was from their travels, with some coming from different ends of the country, there was a palpable excitement in the room. People were sharing their meeting schedules, reuniting with friends from prior conferences, or making new ones like I had. I spent the rest of the week either preparing for or attending my meetings, which included members of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CiCan), the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Heritage.

In the meeting with CiCan, who have extensive ties to Sheridan and many other colleges across the country, I specifically wanted to discuss student housing in the volatile market we see today and how it serves as a catalyst for worsening mental health in students. This was an extremely productive meeting, and those at CiCan were incredibly gracious hosts by lending us an ear to share our concerns over the uncertain post-secondary landscape.

In the meeting with the Ministry of Labour, we had specifically met with Felipe Alfaro, who is the Policy Advisor to the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, who currently serves as both the Minister of Labour as well as the Minister of Seniors. In this meeting, I chose to highlight how mental health supports on post-secondary campuses have not increased in accordance with the rising student populations, as well as what was previously promised by government officials in 2021. While this is something I expected to get significant pushback on, it was taken gracefully and action was further promised through direct discussions with Alfaro’s parliamentary connections.

In my final meeting with the Ministry of Heritage, I was able to speak on the importance of students being able to access excerpts of textbooks to supplement their education and quelled the concerns that they had regarding copyright issues stemming from the misuse of educational materials.

Overall, the week was rife with meetings where I felt we actually made a difference. This was a feeling that made any of my apprehensions or worries worth it. In fact, I was able to recently see the effects of my advocacy with CASA come to fruition as Marc Miller, who serves as the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, announced that international student working hours will continue to be set at 40 a week, instead of reverting back to 20 at the end of this year. This fills many labour market needs in our economy has faced severe shortages, and helps international students fund their education through working part-time positions as they complete their education. While I, myself, or CASA can’t take full credit for this, I know our meetings absolutely played a significant role and I couldn’t be more proud of our contributions.

We believe that the best #SheridanLife is one where students have access to opportunities, experiences and tools that help them grow and serve their fellow students.

That’s why the Sheridan Student Union is committed to offering our student leaders career development opportunities and experiences that help them grow and serve the needs of our students. To read more about how your student leaders are working together to advocate for the best #SheridanLife, visit thessu.ca/sheridanlife.