Failed attempt to leave Presidency in blaze of glory; Frederick burns bridges with Council and students.

AMS President Blake Frederick has filed a human rights complaint (available here) to the United Nations against the governments of Canada and British Columbia for failing to remove financial barriers (in the form of tuition) to entrance into post secondary institutions. He, in association with Tristan Markle, demands that the UN investigate the matter and hold the government accountable to Article 13 (c) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which commits the government to providing accessible higher education, but which further stipulates that this is “on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means”. Basically committing the government to acting within reason, something which seems to elude Frederick.

The AMS Council was not consulted in any way, UBC students were not consulted, in fact the only person who may have been consulted was VP External Tim Chu, who sources within the AMS have stated was in full support of this human rights complaint.

There has been a substantial backlash against this action, probably because it was a ridiculous waste of student funds, leading to an emergency Council meeting this Saturday where Frederick will be served with a notice of impeachment, as well as separate motions requesting his and Chu's resignation, and a motion to retract the complaint.

The meeting will take place in the Council Chambers on the second floor of the Student Union Building at 5:00 pm on Saturday November 28, 2009. All interested students are encouraged to attend.