AASUA takes an active role in upcoming referendum

The Association of Academic Staff at the University of Alberta (AASUA) is taking on an active role in the upcoming referendum. The October referendum will pose 10 questions, including five on immigration and one about a potential future referendum on Alberta becoming an independent state.

AASUA registered as a third-party advertiser for the referendum on September 9. Elections Alberta’s website states that a third-party advertiser “engages in advertising when they promote, oppose, or take a position on a question in a referendum.”

AASUA President Kristine Smitka explained that AASUA isn’t trying to tell people how to vote. Instead, they want to encourage people to vote in the referendum while informing them about the potential impacts of the results.

“We’ve been really thinking about the potential impact [of this referendum] on our members,” she said. 

“It felt irresponsible really not to be thinking about ensuring that our members are aware of the intersection of their working conditions and those referendum questions,” Smitka said. 

AASUA hopes to reach more than just its members, which include about 4,000 teaching professionals, librarians, research staff, faculty service officers, and more. They hope to engage the wider university community, including students, staff, parents of students, alumni, and anyone with an investment in the U of A. 

“We’re really keeping our focus localized on the potential impacts to the U of A community,” she said. 

AASUA has already been encouraging people to register to vote or request a mail-in ballot. They will also be filming a video of academics across campus talking about what is at stake for them.

“We can try to make sure there’s as many voices as possible bringing attention to this issue, but also kind of showing the minutia of how these questions actually can bleed into the infrastructure, the interpersonal and human dynamics,” she explained. “So many aspects of that are part of what make the university.”

Immigration questions loom large for AASUA members

While AASUA isn’t telling people how to vote, Smitka said they felt they needed to register because they were taking an implied position.

AASUA, along with the Graduate Students’ Association, Non-Academic Staff Association, and Postdoctoral Fellows Association, penned an op-ed in the Edmonton Journal about the upcoming referendum. It highlighted the potential impacts of separation on federal research funding and both student and staff recruitment. 

Additionally, Smitka noted that the five questions regarding immigration could directly impact AASUA’s members. 

Three questions focus on restricting access to public services like health care and education. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently floated the idea of a $1,900 fee for temporary residents to access health care.

Another question asks voters whether they support the Government of Alberta exercising more control over immigration for the purpose of decreasing it. 

Smitka said she’s heard concerns from members who have come from abroad to work at the U of A that could face barriers to public services. The concerns also extend to how the referendum questions could impact recruitment.

“Next time we have the ability to hire someone and we get to post a tenure-track line, what are the conditions in which that posting is going to be read by potential candidates?” she asked. “If those candidates are looking at [the University of British Columbia] or [the University of Toronto], are other provinces going to look more welcoming to newcomers?”

Smitka said that ultimately, the main goal is getting people out to vote. 

“Certainly, there is a lot of concern about potential voter apathy, and so anything that we can be doing to encourage anyone in the campus community … [to realize] the importance of the referendum itself and hopefully making a plan to vote.”