The Insiders
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Dec
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Blake, Tim Attend BC NDP Convention, Miss Out on Impeachment Hearing
Posted by: Alex Lougheed | December 1, 2009 | 6 Comments
Seen in the photo below from L to R are Andrew Fergusson, Marion Pollock, Natalie Bocking, Tim Chu and Blake Frederick. The photo was taken at a social event at the BC NDP Convention that took place from Friday Nov 27 to Sunday Nov 29.
While we cannot confirm the exact time and date this photo was taken place, we have reasonable grounds (based on other photos) to believe it was the evening Nov 28th, the date of their impeachment hearing.
Andrew Fergusson and Natalie Bocking are two student politicians over at SFU. Fergusson is currently acting as Simon Fraser Student Society Internal Relations Officer, and Bocking acted last year as SFSS External Relations Officer. Bocking is known around SFU for being a fervent supporter of the Canadian Federation of Students–an unpopular position on that campus (the SFSS has been in the courts for two years now, trying to leave the organization). The AMS has traditionally and continues to be opposed to membership with CFS.
Marion Pollock was impeached by a general meeting of students from her post as a board member of the SFSS. She, alongside six other board members, were fired for dismissing a popular employee of the SFSS. She then joined in a joint lawsuit with other impeached executives to have the impeachment overturned. They lost.
Traditionally, the AMS encourages it’s executives to attend these conventions–but in their AMS capacities as nonpartisan observers. They serve as an excellent access point to government officials. We have received no indication that Blake and Tim attended this meeting in their AMS capacities, but instead attended personally.
Last, here’s an old piece on lobbying by Insiders alumnus, Tim L.-G.. Many of you have expressed interest in becoming more engaged as well this upcoming year. Student Council elections are run by your faculty’s constituency (e.g. AUS, SUS) after the AMS executive elections. Your constituency’s rules decide how your AMS representatives are chosen (mostly elected at-large in larger faculties, in smaller faculties typically an executive, such as President).
Comments
6 Comments so far
Also, from the Convention agenda, all the workshops and official business were over at 5:00 pm. The only things after 5 were the dinner and entertainment. If Blake and Tim wanted to go to the Convention, good on them but they could have made it back in time for their meeting instead of partying in hotel room. Shame….
I don’t know Blake and Tim very well, so I don’t know what their intentions were.
But seriously, would anybody willingly show up to their own burning-at-the-stake? I’m not taking their side or anything here, but why put yourself in that position? Anything they would have said that night probably would have been drowned out with boos and hisses. It’s probably better for them to just respond via a letter.
I would have rather melon-balled my own eyes than entered a room full of people out for my head (whether or not their reasons for wanting my head were justified, which I haven’t been able to decide yet).
Why don’t you also publish Colin Simkus’s facebook profile picture, posing beside our beloved funding cutter, tuition raiser, Gordon Campbell? Because you are so biased?
@ uh?
“Anything they would have said that night probably would have been drowned out with boos and hisses. It’s probably better for them to just respond via a letter”
That’s not true. One, the rules regarding decorum during council sessions would have prevented that. Furthermore though I’m in firm opposition of Blake and Tim I, like many others, were eager to hear the explanation of their conduct. It’s a common courtesy to let your opposition give their side of the story. It also would have shown some character and integrity on the part of Blake and Tim if they had shown up because, as you said, it would have been a difficult time for them. Not showing up just showed, at least in my mind, an utter disregard for the sentiments of the majority of campus. Sentiments they were responsible for eliciting.
@Gordo
The picture isn’t meant to be taken for the company they keep. Be NDP, Liberal or Conservative; hell be Rhinoceros if you want to. That’s not the issue. What the picture address is where their priorities lay while campus was in turmoil. It has been well researched that the official business of the convention was over by 5:00PM. They could have left maybe an hour early to get there on time, or left at 5 and got to the meeting a bit late. Instead they decided to party the night away. The fact that decided an after party was more important than addressing an angry student body is disturbing. That prioritization, as evidenced by this photo, is what speaks to their character not their political affiliation.
Just FYI, Andrew Fergusson is the Internal Relations Officer, not the University Relations Officer
So corrected.