National Union of Students (Canada) - Campaigns

Campaigns

The National Union of Students and its provincial affiliates were engaging in campaigns across the country to oppose government funding cuts to universities and colleges. Tuition levels, which had been frozen in the later half of the 1960s and early 1970s, were on the rise starting in 1972 and throughout the rest of the 1970s. The years 1977 and 1978 were years in which nationally coordinated student actions against tuition increases, organized by the NUS/UNE and affiliates, were held across the country.

In 1977, 1978, and 1979, the British Columbia component of NUS/UNE was actively protesting against tuition increases. The NUS/UNE also planned a National Student Day (which BCFS participated in) to protest increasing barriers to post -secondary education. Pundits characterized the NUS/UNE and BCFS opposition to government cuts as "fierce". Students in Victoria, British Columbia gathered on University of Victoria 'Board of Governors to oppose an unprecedented 20-30% tuition fee hike. A group of about 100 angry students stormed the Board of Governors meeting room in which the fee hike was being passed. Also, in 1977 Newfoundland students at Memorial University, St. John's, were on the offensive, in coordination with NUS/UNE, in response to fee increases announced by the University on March 13.

Aside from education accessibility issues, student housing, women's equality, and student employment were seen as important issues on which to lobby the government. During its time, the NUS/UNE received criticisms from students that the Union did not address other issues such as poverty, war, and environmental degradation. Some student leaders saw the NUS/UNE as too narrowly focused on lobbying government officials over "bread and butter" issues and not enough on issues "more important than free tuition."