Background: September 18th is the Vancouver opening ceremonies to the The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) whose goals are to open the books on the crimes and abuses of the Canadian Residential School System which ultimately resulted in thousands of deaths, cases of abuse, and harm to first nation communities in every province and territory. (More info at their website or facebook/twitter/print a poster for your workplace).

Action: Below is the letter of support that TSSU voted unanimously to send to the SFU Senate at our June 18th General Membership Meeting. (You can also download the PDF HERE).

Results: While SFU has agreed to provide "academic amnesty" to any student wishing to miss class, they have not extended this amount of respect to the workers at SFU (Faculty, Staff, Administration, and Teaching Support Staff). The Social Justice Committee has decided to raise awareness around this topic to ensure ALL of the SFU community has equal access to this important historical and culturally significant event. Please email Organizer (at) tssu.ca for more info on how to get involved with our efforts or spread the word in your own department and circles.

Your rights to attend as of now: As a TSSU member you have the right to exchange your duties for up to a period of a week with someone else as long as your course leader/chair approves. Often the course leader themselves or a peer will cover for the member. This can be used for any reason, and is often used for events such as conferences and other academic related events. See  Article J on page 54 of our new green Collective Agreement for full provision.