Kyle Addison goes on John Gormley – to campaign (UPDATED)
And here we were at the Carillon thinking we could take it easy today, during polling.
Incumbent URSU president Kyle Addison, who's running for re-election, appeared on John Gormley's talk radio show this morning. The topic was last week's release of the CFS referendum results, and the description on Gormley's page is as follows:
Months after the student referendum on the future of the U of R Students Union staying in the Canadian Federation of Students, the results are finally released. Despite the fact that there were a large number of students unhappy with the service from the CFS, URSU claims they repeatedly communicated to the CFS their willingness to work with them to repair the relationship but received no response. URSU continues to assert the results being released less than a week before voting for the general elections is a deliberate attempt by CFS to interfere in the democratic process at the University of Regina. Kyle Addison – University of Regina Student Union President joins John.
Where things get a little touchy is around the 12:30 mark. I'm currently working on a partial transcript of the relevant part of the conversation, but right now, the gist of it is that Addison says that his opponent, Kent Peterson, "hates" Vianne Timmons, Rob Norris, Brad Wall, John Gormley, and Addison himself, and says that Peterson actively campaigned for the CFS – and vice-versa.
Section 24 of the URSU electoral bylaws have the following sub-headings:
(5) A person who, either before or during an election, knowingly publishes a false
statement in relation to the personal character or conduct of a candidate for the
purposes of affecting the return of the candidate at an election is guilty of an
offence.(9) A person who on a polling day, other than a day on which an advance polling station
is open, uses or causes to be used a public address system, or other loudspeaker
device for the purpose of promoting or securing the election of a candidate at the
election is guilty of an offence.
So, is a publicly-broadcast AM radio show with a downloadable podcast exempt? Does Addison have proof that Peterson hates people, or that he campaigned for the CFS? If yes and no, respectively, where does Addison stand in relation to URSU's bylaws? Well:
(13)Upon completing an investigation of an alleged or perceived offence or violation of a
provision of this By-Law, the Chief Returning Officer may recommend to the Board
that if the offence or violation is, or has been committed:
(i) by a member who is or was a candidate at an election the member be
disqualified as a candidate, and the member’s privileges in the Students’
Union will be subject to due course as per Article III of the URSU constitution;
or
(ii) by a member other than a candidate the member’s privileges in the Students’
Union will be subject to du course as per Article III of the URSU constitution;
or
(iii)by a club, society, or course union recognition and/or funding of the club,
society, or course union be suspended by the Board indefinitely; or
(iv)the matter be referred to the appropriate authorities for civil or criminal prosecution.
Stay tuned for an update with the transcript; in the meantime, you can listen directly to the relevant clip here.
UPDATE: Addison has posted an apology on his URSU blog:
I would like to state the there were statements made about Kent Peterson during the John Gormely interview at noon today that were not factual. I would like to apologize to Kent for this.
Sincerely,
Kyle Addison
Bravo to Kyle for taking ownership of his comments, and for addressing the bylaw violations directly.
UPDATE (2): There's another apology up now, same link; we've reprinted it below.
I would like to apologize to Kent Peterson regarding my comments on John Gormley Live on March 16th. I would like to also retract the following statements:
My statement that Kent was working to “Help the CFS help him win this election” was untrue.
My further statements that Kent “very much dislikes myself, very much dislikes President Timmons of the University of Regina, Minister Norris of Advanced Education, Employment, and Immigration, and publicly dislikes Premier Wall” were also equally untrue to the best of my knowledge.
My intent in this interview was to discuss the results that were recently released in regards to the CFS referendum that took place at the University of Regina, and consciously avoided discussing my re-election.
I seriously intended no harm and wish all the best to all of the candidates in the URSU General Election, including Kent E. Peterson.
Sincerely,
Kyle Addison
[…] UPDATE: The Carillon has a more detailed account, including specific bylaws that Addison may have broken. […]
Addison needs to withdraw.
This is not okay – is it really that hard to follow the rules?
Hopefully the CRO will investigate this violation and take the appropriate steps to remedy it.
Those are some pretty brutal slams on Peterson! I can't wait to see his rebuttal to some pretty bold claims about his character. Hopefully it's a lot more logical and a lot less accusatory.
I have heard that all Addison has to do is to formally apologize for the incident and sign a waiver stipulating if he breaks bylaws again, he will be disqualified.
It will be interesting to see if he has to apologize for both offenses or just the one. Regardless, I think students will react very strongly to this. Unfortunately, I don't believe it will detract any of his voters, anyways. The "citizen-students," to use a term, aren't voting for him anyways.
After this, I don't want him to represent me come May 1, never mind March 17.
I think that it is truly unfortunate that this is where the election has lead. Mr. Peterson certainly has the Carllion on his side with out a doubt. I have NOT read anything positive about any of the candidates on the FOR STUDENTS your paper since I began following the election.
I think it is WRONG that the CFS results came public this month after a 6 month waiting period, being that URSU has tried to secure the results for several months now, and were never given the time of day from any of the CFS people in Ottawa.
I am not certain that I can say this, but I believe that Mr. Peterson is running an NDP style of campaigning and I feel it is totally inappropriate.
I am looking forward to the results on Friday, and Mr. Addison and his candidates must be applauded for the campaign they have run.
VOTE FOR STUDENTS
Hey Kyle.. Your a card! Maybe if you ever attended anything that the U of R sended you to dealing with the CFS and what they do you would have a clue how to service "your students" You are a JOKE!! You are sent twice a year to AGMs to decide what to do with our money and what to bring back to our campus which is lacking in any student involvement!! YOU WERE THE SASK REP NOT TO LONG AGO YOU DOOR KNOB! Barber was the treasurer!!!!!! Where is the money what are you doing with it!!!??? You dont know because maybe you went shopping that day or dealt with your own side agenda?!! You are too concerned with building your own resume and to defederate from the CFS would look good for you because your a business student? Makes sense but good luck in student elections buddy!! YOU ARE A JOKE!
And how can Kent not like you…. thats not hard because alot of people do not like you!! You are crooked …how could we trust someone who pays the football team to vote no in the cfs campaign… and you go door to door in the res to get no voters and you campaign off campus! You are truly a role model for what I would never look for in a student president because you cannot win in honesty or in fairness!!
I am a bit livid so consider this…. You are misrepresenting the process. The ballots were embargoed because their was a debate over whether FNUC students were eligible to vote.Also, can you produce those emails you ave sent to CFS Exec because you have a tendancy to make things up to make you look and sound better. The results should have been released months ago but URSU had to drop their second claim.Also, why didn't you release the result to the board at least?
I was told that the results were released to the National Exec in January-based on an agreement that was reached between both sides…. and Kyle why would you want to release the votes so close to the election im sure you would have thought it would have affected you….. or maybe you are using it for pitty?
Megs.
Also, there's no way that we can force them to sign an embargo
Suuuuuper unnecessary, Kyle. Wow. You just threw yourself under the bus.
So Kyle has implied that he is sorry. What would even possess him to say that kind of thing on the radio? During the voting period? Did he even think before he spoke? No, obviously not.
Is he the kind of person – unthinking, impulsive, apparently slander-spewing – that we students at the U of R want representing us?!?!
I, for one, am embarrassed by him.
#winning
There needs to be some real accountability here. No one should be allowed to blatantly commit election related offenses and have no punishment beyond a two line apology. This makes the second year running with problems involving the elections. A slap on the wrist can't be accepted.
If you think that Kyle having to make an apology is not enough for the offense committed; that all candidates should be treated equally; that we must ensure that our bylaws aren't being violated; and that when they are violated, there are real consequences, then make your voice heard and email the CRO at cro@ursu.ca.
How come Kent Peterson is allowed to slander our Premiere without consequence? It seems to me that partisan politics is a contact sport; if you're going to dish dirt, except to eat a little in return.
Beyond the partisanship in the article and the comments, it's nice to see a continued dialogue about the CFS. It pains me to point out that regardless of your partisan position on Addison or the URSU leadership, the criticisms of the CFS were entirely legitimate. The students should absolutely be questioning organizations that claim to represent their interests – especially given that the CFS has, historically, showed relatively little interest in issues at the UofR.
Moreover, it is interesting that the CFS actively spent money to dissuade voters at the Regina campus. Doesn't that seem at least a little bit inappropriate, given the massive financial leverage available to the CFS? Shouldn't their accomplishments for students at UofR be self evident? And even if they are not, there is a difference between informing students of the role of the CFS and actively pressuring students by deploying pro-CFS, foreign students onto our campus.
I would also argue that the results of the referendum should have been released after the election, so as not to unfairly sway students given the divisive nature of the vote (which was extremely close, by the way). Given the benefit that the results of the CFS referendum present to the opposition, I don't think it's entirely unfair for Addison to make a public address. All is fair in love and war, after all.
In all, this should be a lesson to everyone that the partisan politics on both sides of the isle does nothing to benefit the student body. By using the divisive CFS issue as a means of attractive votes, the opposition has, in my opinion, set the stage for more aggressive counter-partisanship. The losers in this race? The student body.
Alex
I'm sad that I am not eligible to vote, but thankful to hear about the process through the Carillon's website. So, first, many props to the staff for offering this service!
What an ugly campaign. I'm afraid that an apology, especially the lackluster one offered, is not enough. If anyone should be aware what is and is not appropriate campaign behaviour, one would hope it would be the current president. This was no accident, and it is an insult to the students at the university that this is our voice in such a public forum. Unfortunately, I don't think that either one of the "sides" – For Students or Voice of Students (I'd have to differ with both) – is coming across well at all. (Honestly, with all of the criticism that *could* be directed at the current president, if targeting the food discounts – with incorrect information – is a key piece in your platform, that's laughable.) At this point, the candidate that I would want representing me is Reid Hill. If he isn't elected, I hope that he is able to play some role in helping those elected unify the students after this mess. Good luck to all involved.
Hey Marion, try looking at all the facts. URSU is the one who kept the results of CFS quiet. Aren't you Bart's mom anyway?
@Megan Shiplack
Are you from the CFS? If so I am a little disappointed in the way I voted. Perhaps Kyle Addison isn't your favourite person in the world and you might not agree with him on anything, but calling him a "door knob" and "a joke" is over the line. It's obvious that enough people have supported him in the past that he's been elected twice, and regardless of what he's done in the past year, attacking him personally isn't ingratiating yourself to anyone, not even people like myself who are upset by the way he's handled URSU in the past three years.
And calling Kyle Addison out on not being able to produce emails he sent is also unfair. You claim he paid the football team to vote no in the referendum. I'd like to see some proof of that very bold claim.
People that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
However, it is concerning that Addison thought it was ok to say those things on air. At least he got called on it, and at least he apologized and took responsibility for it. He hurt himself way more than he hurt Kent Peterson, so I think we can all stop braying for his blood now. The way public opinion is seems to show that he will not be getting a third term either way.
No, Kyle gets NO second chances – he has been behaving exactly the same for the past TWO YEARS!
He has run out of second chances.
This is an ADULTS' election. Our million-dollar union is at risk! Students RISE!
NO MAS!
Disqualify his ass!
Guard those ballot boxes
Also Marion, what is an 'NPD style' campaign? Whatever you define that as, it must be far better than the dictatorship style leadership that 'For Students' is pushing to implement. All the candidates have been given a fair representation within the Carillon. Perhaps things seem hard on 'For Students' because they have perpetuated misogyny, homophobia, have openly mocked overweight people and transgendered people,divided campus during cfs, have broken many campaign rules, and have slandered other candidates on the radio. If anything, the Carillon has gone easy on 'For Students'.
Honestly, this "CFS withheld the results" vs "URSU withheld the results" business is BAD, and everybody who brings it up should FEEL BAD.
Meagan:
For the record, this post is no way in support of Mr. Addison. My allegiances lay 100% with URSU and it's members. I am only concerned that the truth be known. With that, as an ROC member I am in a position to point out a couple of things you have incorrectly stated.
First off CFS did force URSU to sign an embargo. During the negotiations to bring CFS members back to Regina and count the provisional ballots, one of the conditions they insisted was the results be embargoed until both parties agreed to release them AND there was clarification on the FNUC issue either by agreement of the two parties or through the courts. I personally argued against the embargo as I felt the students had the right to know the results. At the time there was still a chance the NO side could have won, it was my concern that had it done so, and an embargo be in place, it would be advantageous for CFS sit on the results and not release them.
Second, Mr. Addison NEVER sent any communications (email or phone) to the CFS. All communication from URSU to the CFS was done by URSU's general manager who has saved copies of all correspondence. URSU's correspondence offered to resolve the outstanding issues (including the FNUC status) along with providing a means by which the two organizations could work together in the future. The only response URSU ever received was an email from the National Chair person indicating he was passing along the correspondence to Lucy Watson who sent a single email indicating she was busy and would be in touch shortly. She then never responded to any additional emails. The only correspondence from CFS was their lawyer's letter from March 7th indicating their intention to release the results on March 9th (the letter is posted on the URSU website) thereby breaking the agreement all four ROC members had signed.
Third, you claim URSU released the results as a means to generate pity for Mr. Addison. That is not true, the results were released on March 11th solely by CFS in direct violation of the agreement which they signed. As an ROC member, I find this deeply disappointing as neither myself or my fellow URSU ROC member were contacted and asked to participate or give our consent to release the results as it stated we were required to do in the agreement we, along with the CFS ROC members, signed on Dec 17th.
If you would like additional information or to discuss this further I would be happy to take the time to meet with you in person and discuss in detail and answer any questions you may have. My email is jelinski@ursu<dot>uregina.ca.
(I tried to have this posted on Mr. Addison's blog, but it has not made it up yet – cross posted here)
Unbelievable! How does this work? You go on the radio, slam your main competitor in the campaign, then go to your blog and reverse all of the harmful and false statements that you put out there on voting day!? What’s up with that? Some would call it dirty politics. Unbelievable.
The "No" side in the CFS referendum did not bribe the football team during the referendum. When I heard this rumor I asked my friends on the football team, and all of them said this was the first they were hearing about the "No" side bribing the team. Several of them went on to say that most of the team didn't care about referendum result one way or another.
@tami, I have heard Kent sling mud at the Premiere and the SaskParty (talk about taking a partisan position), at the UofR president, and many others. If he can't take it, why does he dish it out?
I don't have a dog in this fight (100% apathetic), but I figure that if you are going to sling mud, you should expect to get dirty. Besides, I think we both know that Kent is going to use this to his fullest advantage. If anything, Kyle did him a favour.
Some of you need to relax. Based on some of these comments, it's no wonder that most of the student body avoids participating in UofR politics.
Alex
@ Alex it's Premier. That is all.
@Mike Burton, sorry for the typo.
Everyone complains about Kyle's slander….this comment section (or most of the Carillon comment sections) gives slanderous a new meaning. The fact the everyone since the CFS division has been at each others' throats and yelling at each other with lack of common sense is truly disgusting. It really makes me want to turn away from being apart of URSU or caring about it in any way . Has everyone forgotten that this is University? A time to have fun and party, as well as excel in our studies? This is not a Provincial Government as many would wish it to be. URSU represents students, not hardline politicals. Obviously URSU can't be all fun and bananas, but it shouldn't have a 4 foot pole up its' ass either. While some point out that I can see Kyle at the bar like its' a bad thing, I see it as someone in touch with reality and is a regular person: because I'm at the bar too, along with the majority of students. That's something Kyle has shown that neither Kent nor Reid has, the ability to communicate with the average, party going student, ironically the ones who typically don't vote or give two shits about URSU. This is my opinion, not yours, so don't get your panties in a bunch and assume I'm speaking facts or for you.
I meant no offense to you hard drinking people who do give at least three shits about URSU.
Jesse, your assessment is unfair to both Kent and Reid. They did not have the visibility that Kyle was afforded over the past two years, so you can't really accurately judge the candidates drinking habits at the owl. Further, it's one thing for people to be critical of Kyle's decisions as president because we are allowed to. Check out the By Laws for the elections: what Kyle was saying untrue, uncalled for, and just mean. Kyle's actions are slanderous and are clearly against By Laws. Commenting on a message board, while can be mean and uncalled for is different than one candidate attacking another in the media.
Addison should be disqualified. Perhaps, before doing this radio interview he was drink alcohol on the students dime at the Owl.
I am voting for Kent Peterson!
Jesse,
It's really sad that competence isn't a measure of an admirable leader, but rather their ability to drink it up at the Owl.
Personally, I admire students who are serious about their education and aware of more than how to drink. It's not that hard to party. It is much harder to be a successful student in all aspects of the word, and it takes much more than that to be a good URSU president. While URSU is not as big news as government politics, they manage quite a lot of money and they represent us. So why not demand competence?
Wow, this is getting unbelievable, I think all of this "hate" and he said she said, is beyond belief.
I believe serious breaches have been made on both sides of the platforms.
Mark, as for my comment of NDP campaigning, I am a card carrying member of the NDP party, and since Mr. Lingenfelter, has come back to SASK, the name calling, mud slinging, and back stabbing, "finding dirt" on the SASK PARTY, has really disappointed me, and by following this election campaign, I can see my Mr. Petersons tactics it has trickled down to the "younger NDP's"
It scares me to think what Campaigning in Canada is going to be like when the students involved in this campaign, try running for Premier of this Great Province, or Prime Minister of this Great Country…….
Yes, I am Barts mum, not that that should make a difference, but as for the dislike of "fat people" I beg to differ on that comment, as the Soroka's are NOT a lightweight group, so I have to disagree on that, as everyone we have met on this campaign trail have been wonderful young adults that any parent should be proud of.
I am signing off as my last post, I am a mum, and such attacks against our children bring out the "mummabear" us. Bart I apologize for "butting" my nose in, where it truly does not belong. If there is one thing I do know is you can stand on your own two feet,.
Best wishes to all of the candidates, try to enjoy today
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!
Marion, mudslinging in the URSU campaign is your perspective, but if there is evidence of mudslinging, there is no greater example of that then Addison's Gormley interview. If you think the points that have been raised about For Students terrible ideas and actions are mudslinging, then maybe you should ask your son's party about why they did them. It's impossible to mudsling when For Students have demonstrated hateful actions. Lingenfelter's actions have no bearing on the actions of myself and other people who support Voice of Students. We are simply doing the responsible thing and calling For Students on their insulting and ignorant actions, which contribute to an unsafe campus for many, if not all, people.
Excuse me Alex but is criticism of the current Premier and cabinet for not considering a tuition freeze 'mud slinging'? You seem pretty eager to defend the people who currently hold the gov't of this province. And while we're at it, the sleazy tactics of John Gormley to advance Addison's campaign is beyond 'sleazy'.
http://tinyurl.com/4pmppng
Wow, I would be embarassed if my Mom was fighting my battles, on the Carillon webpage on top of that.
If Addison is re-elected, I vow to lead the effort to impeach his conservative, slanderous bum out of student council.
whaaaaaaaaaat a DOUCHE
Hi Joel,
First, I do not fight Barts battles, he can truly hold his own against any one. Second you may be embarrassed if your mom "fought"your battles on a web site, \
Bart does not take it as fighting his battles, and he does not get embarrassed by me having an opinion on whatever he is taking part in.
Barts family does not embarass him,
My heart aches that you would be embarrassed if the person who gave you life wanting to post an opinion
Do you even go to this school?
Well well well! In spite of outside interference from sources like John Gormley's radio show and other affiliated entities, it looks like a progressive broom has swept through this place. Thank gawd!
@Marion My mom will be on later with a rebutal.
Bart is now the most unpopular boy at school. Thanks mom.
A) My folks pay attention to what I do at the University. Personally, I'm pumped that they do–having their support for my long hours has been a huge help.
B) U of R has a huge impact on the community at large, so it makes sense for people other than students to be interested in the election.
C) That sucks that I'm the least popular person on campus. Was there a poll done, or was this just a "popular opinion" thing?
D) Seriously though, being a dick because my mom read the Carillon and voiced her opinion? That's not fighting my battles, that's me just not wanting to bother reading a bunch of anger. I try to remain positive, but I honestly can't believe you called out my mom.
LOL at joel trying to troll an older woman over a schools page. bro needs to grow up. I think him and kevin are just jealous that their parents aren’t involved in their lives. aww 🙁
anyway, it’s terrible to see this stuff turn out this way. i hear kent is not going to do a great job.
AUGH. When did University go from being a place of higher education to such a clusterfuck?
When I talked to Addison during the CFS referendum, I wanted to discuss why to vote no, specifically asking about the finance statement stuff they were barking about. He told me: "I can tell you're not a business student, but to us that is really a big deal…" and the rest of the talk was just as laced with condescending remarks and arrogance. I am aghast that such a person has been the president for so long, and knowing that 'university students' voted for him makes me want to weep. Now with this, we see that the longer we let him be, the more of an ass he makes of himself! Isn't this remarkable?
@ facepalm: When I spoke to Matt Steen about it, he kept comparing the Referendum to the Sask Party and Brad Wall. When I questioned URSU's decision to take sides, therefore not representing students, he told me that he does what the engineers tell him to do.
@ James: how did you hear Kent is not going to do a great job? What is your assertion even based on? If you showed up to the forums, you would've witnessed a man who had thought through many scenarios and had logical and well thought out answers to all questions asked. No president can do as poor a job as the current URSU president. Maybe you should give him a bit of a chance before you judge him so quickly.
It's adorable that Bart and his Mom are proud of each other. I'm sorry for my sarcasm.
Seriously Mike Burton…are you still involved in student politics? Wow, isn't that like 10 years plus!
@Carla. Nine years, but who is counting. And as long as I am still a student and still paying fees I will be involved in "student politics" as you call it.
Thank god people like Mike Burton still are active in politics at the U of R.