[6] The goal of the merger was to create a united student movement in Canada that could provide student-oriented services and political representation at the federal and provincial levels of government.
Mike McNeil was elected as the organization's first Chairperson, along with Mike Walker (Treasurer), former NUS treasurer Kirk Falconer (International Affairs Commissioner), Kathie Cram (Women's Commissioner), Brian Robinson (Graduate Student Representative), Ben Freedman (Member at Large), and Leslie Neilson (Member at Large).
After hearing speeches by Salvadoran and Chilean students, delegates passed motions condemning human rights violations and anti-student policies in those countries.
The slogan for the campaign was "Access not axe us" and it called for an establishment of an all-grant system and a public inquiry into the future of post-secondary education.
[9] The campaign also called for alliance building with community groups and public sector workers to gain support and fight against cutbacks to social programs.
The report focused on effects of the Government of Canada's cutback to education and highlighted issues such as access and tuition fee levels.
[11] The conference ended with a student presence in Question Period in the House of Commons of Canada, a meeting with Secretary of State Gerald Regan, and a one-on-one debate between Chairperson Mike McNeil and Member of Parliament John Evans (parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Allan MacEachen) in the Snake Lounge at Carleton University.
Member locals were urged "to consider hosting international guests from the US.A and Mexico during the fall of 1992 to contribute to the national dialogue of the effects on the education system of the North American Free Trade Agreement."
[27] However, in December 2018 the SFUO will no longer be recognized as a student union by the Universities governing bodies, following a termination of their agreement.
[28] In October 2009, students at Carleton, Guelph, and Concordia organized a drive to leave CFS, resulting in petitions meeting the threshold necessary to initiate decertification votes.
[36] In a February 7, 2012 article that appeared in The Concordian, it was reported that the CFS was alleging that the Concordia Students' Union owed $1.8 million in unpaid membership dues going back as far as the 1990s.
[37] Lex Gill, then-president of the CSU firmly denied the CFS' claim, while congratulating the SFSS for "setting the tone" with regards to legal proceedings.
After challenging the legitimacy of SFU's 2008 referendum, the CFS ultimately settled out of court, leading Simon Fraser University’s student union to officially leave in 2012.
The current Progressive Conservative government has pledged to keep the freeze in place until the end of their mandate, and recently eliminated the interest on the provincial portion of student loans.
[42][43] In British Columbia, the CFS successfully lobbied the former New Democratic Party (NDP) government to introduce tuition fee freezes and reductions.
One of ReconciliAction's, the Circle's most recent campaign, main goal's is to fulfill the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 16th recommendation by increasing support for indigenous language education at post-secondary institutions.
[50] In 2016, governments in Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia passed legislation requiring post-secondary institutions to have stand-alone sexual assault and harassment policies.
[58] The United for Equity campaign "aims to challenge all forms of discrimination and oppression on our campuses, in our communities, and in our student organizing spaces.
The former student alleges that a drinking water experiment in Wiarton, Ontario was not accurately reported in scholarly journals, posing a serious health risk to Canadians.
After the referendum, the Cape Breton University Students Union (CBUSU) ceased collecting membership fees on behalf of the CFS.
[90] In April 2010, members of the Post-Graduate Students' Society of McGill University (PGSS) voted 86% in favour of ending association with the CFS.
The judge urged both parties to consider settling the matter out of court before spending large amounts of money on a full-length trial.
The dispute centered around a petition submitted by UVic student Jose Barrios in the Fall of 2009 that had the required 10% of signatures needed to initiate a referendum.
Mr. Justice Malcolm D. Macaulay of the Supreme Court of British Columbia heard oral arguments from both sides on January 6 and 7, 2011.
On February 1, 2011, Justice Macaulay ruled that the use of a 'counterpetition' to nullify the original petition 'must fail' and ordered that the process to hold a referendum on continued membership must move forward.
[105] On the applicability of the second 'counterpetition', Justice Macaulay wrote: "The national executive of the CFS invoked a process that was not contemplated by the bylaws in effect at the time and, as a result, applied an irrelevant consideration in determining that the petition was not in order.
[108] The UVSS argued that by bringing up this issue so late, the CFS was making an intentional move to delay a vote from occurring before the end of the 2010–2011 academic year.
A subsequent legal battle ensued, leading to a new successful UVSS petition effort to trigger a CFS-BC membership vote.
The CFS is also criticised for being ineffective, with one student stating that "They don't put enough emphasis on focused lobbying of elected officials, and continue to prefer the protests and sit-ins.
"[117] This criticism has been dismissed by many given the organization's annual Lobby Week[118] where students from across the country meet with MPs and senators to push for affordable post-secondary education, and the CFS's presence on a variety of government committees.