Monday’s dramatic election was certainly a nail-biter; but regardless of the results, the Canadian Federation of Students is pleased with their Time to be Bold campaign.
In short, the campaign focused on getting students out to the polls. The CFS concentrated on four pillars this election – issues they considered the most pressing to post-secondary students this election season, including: Free Education and Debt Alleviation; Climate Justice and a Liveable Planet; Indigenous Learners’ Right to Education; and, Justice for International Students. On top of the four pillars, the CFS also included, on their website, a frequently-asked-questions section regarding voting, to ensure that this information was as easily accessible and concise as possible. As the election grew nearer, the Newfoundland Labrador branch of the CFS put up Time to be Bold campaign posters detailing when, where, and how students could access on-campus polls. On the ground at Memorial, CFS and MUNSU worked with Elections Canada to set up on-campus polling stations to ensure availability to students.
The CFS held a watch-party event for the election at the Breezeway on Monday (October 21). There, the MUSE had a moment to speak with Newfoundland Labrador’s CFS Chairperson, Bailey Howard, about the outcome of the Time to be Bold campaign. In her reflection, she said that it had been their primary focus since the summer. Howard specifically mentioned the success of the on-campus polling stations. Here at MUN, on-campus voting ran from October 5th to the 9th. Since those polls opened even earlier than the Elections Canada early polls, it gave busy students even more opportunity to vote. To engage even further, MUNSU also offered an election-day shuttle to the polls every hour, on the hour, from campus to polling stations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
When asked if the Newfoundland Labrador CFS members would have changed the campaign in any way, Howard said that they thought Time to be Bold was successful. She remarked that the Federation did “all they could to engage students on the ground” here at Memorial.
Going forward, the CFS plans to hold government accountable to promises they made to students, particularly surrounding the pillars, during campaign season.