MP Peter Braid presents at OPCCA Training in Waterloo
Since 2000 Campus Conservatives have been dedicating resources, including cash, to manipulate student union elections. On March 13, 2009 a set of documents, photos and audio recordings were posted on WikiLeaks.org demonstrating that the Ontario Progressive Conservative Campus Association (OPCCA) was conducting workshops on university campuses to train campus Conservatives to infiltrate student unions, dismantle Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) and siphon student money for partisan organizing. This approach was echoed by Federal MP Steven Fletcher (Federal Minister of Democratic Reform) who encouraged Conservative members to take over students’ unions. According to the Winnipeg Free Press the Conservative Minister refuses to apologize.
Links:
- “Team Merkley”: OPCCA election promise to *continue* training for student union elections and referendum
- KW Record: Recording has Tory students under fire
- OPCCA Facebook announcement: calling on Conservative students to undermine OPIRGS
- Ryerson Free Press: Conservative Party strategy to take over student unions exposed
- Ryerson Free Press: OPIRG and OPCCA Reactions to Leaked Tapes
- The Charlatan: Leaked docs allege Conservative plot
- The Cord: Campus Conservatives’ event draws criticism
- wikileaks.org
- XTRA: Tiny Tories plot campus takeovers
- University of Calgary Gauntlet: Conservatives accused of setting up campus front groups
5 responses so far ↓
Campusconservativewatch’s Blog // July 7, 2009 at 4:44 am |
[...] there was any doubt that Conservatives–at the highest levels–are focused on stamping out students’ ability to organize on their campuses and [...]
Conservative campus-based recruitment campaign gets new legs: Campus media resurrect old CanWest story and call it their own. « Campusconservativewatch’s Blog // September 27, 2009 at 3:12 am |
[...] been well-documented that this year the Conservatives’ plan to use campus front groups to attack inherently progressive forces on campus like public issues research groups (PIRGs) and [...]
So left, they’re right: Conservative student movement conscripts Montréal’s ultra-left « Campusconservativewatch’s Blog // October 18, 2009 at 6:19 am |
[...] unions and their national umbrella organization, the Canadian Federation of Students, which we reported on back in April 2009. In their piece, Open Letter From the Left to the Canadian Federation of [...]
One trick pony? Campus Conservative attack campaign against the Canadian Federation of Students continues at full-steam. « Campusconservativewatch's Blog // November 9, 2009 at 2:01 am |
[...] April 2009, we have been following the Campus Conservatives’ attack against Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) and student unions, which was leaked to the public. [...]
One trick pony? Campus Conservative attack campaign against the Canadian Federation of Students leaves little else to report « Campusconservativewatch's Blog // November 9, 2009 at 2:20 am |
[...] April 2009, we have been following the Campus Conservatives’ attack against Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) and student unions, which was leaked to the public. [...]