Canadian Alliance of Student Associations

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) was formed in 1995 by several post-secondary institutions' student unions who had withdrawn from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and previously unaffiliated student unions. Today CASA boasts of a membership of 25 student associations representing over 300,000 students.

History

CASA's origins can be traced to the first Winds of Change conference hosted by the University of Alberta in 1990. In what would become an annual meeting, student leaders from across the country were invited to come together to discuss challenges facing post-secondary education students in Canada.

In 1993 the federal government announced that all of Canada's social programs would be reviewed with sweeping and significant changes likely to come which prompted several student unions not affiliated with the CFS to try to organize efforts to lobby the federal government on education issues.

In 1994, as the result of a conference held at Carleton University, a number of student leaders decided to form a new Canadian post-secondary student organization. The foundations for the new organization were laid down, and the framework for a constitution was built upon it.

In 1998 Patrick Fitzpatrick, then acting Director of CASA, plead guilty to fraud charges after it was discovered that he embezzled money from the organization.

In 2003 Liam Arbuckle, then National Director, resigned after admitting that he...
Read More