Provincial review facing scrutiny for excluding student unions

By VALENTINA BARRERA

A provincial government review of British Columbia’s post-secondary system is drawing criticism from advocates and critics who say it fails to examine student unions, some of which have long been considered problematic.

The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills launched the independent review last November to assess long-term sustainability of post-secondary institutions in B.C. Currently, colleges and universities are facing mounting financial pressure from global inflation, combined with plummeting enrolment and revenue due to federal cuts to international study permits.

The review, led by former deputy minister Don Avison is expected to examine governance, operations, program delivery and tuition policies across the public system. The province says the goal is to stabilize institutions, while ensuring programs align with labour market needs and remain accessible to students.

Students Unions excluded from post-secondary review.      

Korky Neufeld, post-secondary education critic for the B.C. Conservative Party, said not examining student unions misses a key perspective.

“I think they’re missing the mark,” he said. “Nobody wants to answer this. Nobody wants to take accountability for this, and I think that’s where the problem lies.”

Student unions collect mandatory student fees and operate independently under the Societies Act. This means they do not fall under the Freedom of Information Act, nor is there any oversight body monitoring their activities. Historically, this has allowed some student unions to provide little to no transparency to its members, who have no means to challenge their activities or finances.

The ministry said it does not have the authority to ever intervene because student societies are independent legal entities governed under the Societies Act, said Seina Cho, public affairs officer for the ministry, in an email to the Voice.

The ministry also said students concerned about student unions governance can pursue remedies through society bylaws or a civil resolution tribunal.

Longtime government transparency advocate Stanley Tromp said broader scrutiny for student unions is needed from the provincial government. He called the current student union system “absolutely outrageous,” especially in cases where elections are voided or finances lack clarity.

He said a deeper structural reform is needed to tackle limited transparency and accountability in student unions.

“I was pleading that B.C. should create new standalone societies act because they’re distinct from other societies,” he said.

Tromp said he asked the Post Secondary Education and Future Skills public affairs branch whether the review would accept submissions from students about problems with their student societies.

However, he said he received an email back, saying Avison would consider input from student societies themselves as part of his consultation but as independent organizations under the B.C. Societies Act, they were not considered within scope for the review.

“So it appears the review will take advice only from the student unions but nothing about them,” Tromp said.

Langara student shares concerns about the LSU

Student groups have warned the process is moving quickly and risks overlooking the lived realities of students navigating affordability, representation and campus governance.

For some students, the concerns are real. Vansh Gupta, who served as Langara Students’ Union vice president internal and external in spring 2025 was interviewed by the Voice in November. He said transparency issues can discourage participation and limit trust in campus governance.

He questioned how decisions were made within the union.

“Usually, I think LSU staff makes the decisions for everyone. The board just follows whatever they do.”

Neufeld said students should continue to speak up.

“Just keep going public with it. You have a right to be heard, and you have a right for this to be transparent,” he said.