The SFU First Nations Student Association (FNSA) issues this public statement in the form of an open letter regarding the fraught relationship and interactions between the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) and the FNSA.

The SFU First Nations Student Association (FNSA) issues this public statement in the form of an open letter regarding the fraught relationship and interactions between the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) and the FNSA.
[Image description - letter with First Nations Student Association letterhead with statement which reads -
"September 21, 2018
To all concerned,
The First Nations Student Association (FNSA) at Simon Fraser University has moved to go public with our concerns regarding the conduct of Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS).
It may seem that our response has been delayed as our allies, Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG) and the Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCAA), have previously issued public statements. Due to the circumstances surrounding our negotiations and communications with SFSS, our ability to maintain communication with our larger membership over the summer was limited. The FNSA is based on values of consensus and consultation with our whole membership. Our council, who maintained dialogue with the SFSS over the summer, did not want to speak for our membership without hearing their feedback or concerns.
Now that our membership and council have had the chance to discuss, we have agreed that our treatment by SFSS has been problematic, to say the least, and our attempts to reconcile with their board and leadership have been met with resistance and bad faith for years. We hope that our struggle will continue to reveal SFSS’s disregard for the wellbeing of SFU’s marginalized communities - in particular, its students of colour.
Some examples of mistreatment from SFSS are as follows:
- SFSS has negotiated with the FNSA in bad faith and has avoided consultation with regards to the new Student Union Building (SUB). 
- By withholding space in the new SUB, SFSS has denied Indigenous students a consistent, safe space to gather. This denial of space has compromised our ability to succeed academically and maintain our mental, physical, and spiritual health.
- SFSS has repeatedly demonstrated resistance to taking up principles of cultural competency.
- SFSS has routinely neglected their fiduciary duties to the FNSA by obfuscating account statements, denying cheque requisitions, and forcing the students who lead the organization to shoulder financial burdens.
- SFSS has demonstrated outright racism in denial of events and responses to FNSA governance initiatives.
Indigenous Peoples are no stranger to institutional prejudice, discrimination, and mismanagement, especially within academic institutions. SFSS has routinely demonstrated a refusal to take their responsibilities seriously with regards to the FNSA while we continued - as students, elders, parents, relatives, and workers - to provide for our membership and community the advocacy and support that we promise to our relations via our constitution.
Our dealings with SFSS is but one example of the asymmetrical distribution of power between institutions and Indigenous students and faculty at SFU. The current SFSS board’s conception of community and inclusivity are based on Eurocentric values and neoliberal governance. These ideologies are violent, oppressive, and exclude Indigenous peoples. SFSS must collectively become allies, rather than opponents, and consider the needs of SFU’s Indigenous students by following these initiatives: 
- Indigenous students, represented by the FNSA, need a space that will support us on our terms. This new space in the SUB building needs to be inclusive, culturally appropriate, and spatially accommodating towards our growing membership.
- FNSA will accept nothing less than dignified, direct consultation between the FNSA and SFSS: leadership to leadership with mutual respect. Direct consultation must centre us in all plans moving forward.
- As Indigenous students, we will not be subjugated to racist attitudes and paternalism.
- As Indigenous students, we need reliable financial security. SFSS needs to be transparent and prompt when dealing with our accounts and funds so that no council member is financially liable.
- As Indigenous Peoples, we will not compromise our rights as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). We expect SFSS to familiarize themselves with those rights, as well as the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
SFU has a reputation as a progressive institution. The university’s commitment to true reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is a prime example of such progression. When we see the Aboriginal Reconciliation Council (ARC) and numerous other initiatives and committees happening across the campus, it is apparent that SFU is committed to walking alongside Indigenous students as we strive to decolonize our school; this will make the institution safer, more welcoming, and a place for positive experiences. Although SFSS and SFU are distinct entities, SFSS’s existence is contingent on that of SFU. SFSS’s mandate to represent students should follow SFU’s positive initiatives included in their own mandate. Thus far, there has been a sharp divergence from its parent’s mandate.
If SFSS continues on this path, it will be in violation of their organization’s policies, values, and constitution as they will not provide an appropriate, safe space for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students here at SFU. We hope that, with public support, this will encourage SFSS to change its behaviour for the better.
All our relations,
The First Nations Student Association"]