The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) Fall referendum closed at 11 a.m. on Nov. 20, with 35.1 per cent of undergraduate students casting a ballot—up from the 16.7 per cent that voted in last semester’s election. Students overwhelmingly voted to pass the Policy Against Genocide in Palestine and to strike down a question that would have raised the SSMU base fee by 71 per cent.

The Policy Against Genocide in Palestine—put forward by students—compels SSMU to lobby McGill to condemn Israel’s siege on Gaza, divest from companies that support the state of Israel, and cut ties with Israeli universities. It also states that SSMU must take a public stand against Israel’s genocidal violence in Gaza and stand in solidarity with Palestinian and Arab students. The policy passed the referendum with 78.7 per cent of non-abstaining voters, 5,974 people, casting a “Yes” vote.

Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) McGill celebrated the policy’s victory on social media, stating that they were “overwhelmed to see the McGill student body show such strong support for the Palestinian struggle in this historic moment.”

On Nov. 20, after the results of the referendum had been finalized, the SSMU Executive Committee sent out a statement notifying its constituency that McGill informed the SSMU President on Nov. 8 that, should the Policy Against Genocide in Palestine pass, “the University will consider that SSMU is in breach of its own constitution, and hence also in default of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between SSMU and McGill University, as per Section 12.1.2 of this MoA.” 

McGill Media Relations Officer Frédérique Mazerolle elaborated on why the administration sees the policy as a violation of the SSMU Constitution in a statement to The Tribune on Nov. 21. 

“The view of McGill’s senior administration remains that the proposed policy, if adopted, will sharpen divisions in our community at a time when many students are already distressed,” Mazerolle wrote. “The constitution of the SSMU states that the Society ‘shall endeavour to facilitate communications and interaction between all students from all McGill communities’ and ‘to act in the best interests of [SSMU] members as a whole.’ If the proposed policy is adopted, our view is that the SSMU will be in breach of its own constitution.”

SSMU President Alexandre Ashkir discussed how Society plans to respond to McGill’s ultimatum in an email to The Tribune.

“As stated in our emails, McGill has put us in default for SPHR’s name and has threatened to put us in default for the Policy,” Ashkir wrote. “The next steps are for the Board to review the policy and make a decision on ratification. This decision will be made with legal considerations in mind, but most importantly, with the understanding that upholding our democracy is among the most essential tasks of the SSMU, even (and particularly if) it brings us in conflict with McGill. As I told the journalists for the Montreal Gazette, if we believed the policy was violating the Constitution, Elections SSMU would’ve shut it down. They did not and until the Board discusses it further, we will uphold their decision.”

SPHR McGill also addressed the administration’s response to the policy in the same online statement. 

“The administration will now—once again—do everything in its power to overturn the referendum result, in a desperate attempt to crush students’ unequivocal support for Palestinian liberation,” SPHR McGill wrote. “Our elected representatives in SSMU must ensure that the demands of their constituents are met. As our student union, the SSMU has the duty to resist threats from the McGill administration and defend the democratic decision of its students.”

A proposed $48.73 increase to the mandatory SSMU base fee was struck down, with 80.2 per cent of voters saying “No.” If passed, SSMU has said it would have used its increased budget to raise staff wages and meet unprecedented inflation. The society has also stated that it would “likely have to drastically reduce its operational scale” if the fee increase failed to pass the referendum.

Ashkir explained in a statement to The Tribune that SSMU planned to run a “clear and transparent campaign” but was burdened by other responsibilities. 

“We understand the resounding requests for more financial explanations to the increase and I personally apologize to all who may have felt that we were contravening to that,” Ashkir wrote. “We will prepare ourselves to properly run such a campaign for the next referendum period, clearly giving information and explaining in detail the impact of members’ decisions. The SSMU is currently digging into reserves; it can run for at most 2 years as it currently stands by digging into its investments.”

CKUT, a 24/7 non-profit community radio station based at McGill, was up for its first fee increase since 2012. Of the 5,133 voters, 67.2 per cent voted “No” to the station’s request for a $2 opt-outable fee increase.

“CKUT is disappointed that the students that voted could not see the value in the health of their campus radio station,” CKUT Funding and Outreach Coordinator Madeline Lines wrote in an email to The Tribune. “At a time when journalism is suffering, and when Canadian artists are up against algorithms to get their music heard, CKUT disrupts this. This decision means the station will continue to face financial challenges that may soon become existential.” 

MustBus, a student-run service which provides affordable bus trips to students, also failed to secure a $3 fee increase.

“As inflationary pressures continue to drive bus charter costs up, MustBus will now struggle to sufficiently subsidize ticket prices making transport options for McGill students less affordable, frequent, and accessible,” MustBus Co-President Henry Shapiro wrote in a statement to The Tribune. “Despite the disappointing referendum results, the MustBus team is committed to maintaining the current levels of service for next [fall].”

The renewal of the $0.50 opt-outable First Year Fee, which is used to hold events for first year students, also did not pass.

Other questions passed successfully. The McGill Student Emergency Response Team (MSERT), a student-run volunteer first response team which also provides trainings to students, won a $1.36 fee increase. The establishment of a $1 opt-outable fee, which will support a Community Solidarity Fund and Solidarity Funding Committee, was also approved. 

The Student Nutrition Accessibility Club (SNAC) ran a referendum question requesting the creation of a $1.30 opt-outable fee. The question passed with 65.7 per cent of the 5,335 voters who did not abstain casting a “Yes” vote.

“We are immensely grateful to the student body for recognizing the importance of SNAC’s mission and supporting the implementation of this fee,” SNAC Co-President Alexa Infelise wrote in a statement to The Tribune. “Your vote has paved the way for a more inclusive and supportive community where everyone has access to nutritious food and valuable education on healthy living.”

Finally, students also voted to ratify SSMU’s Board of Directors, which can either happen through a referendum or through a General Assembly.

This piece was updated at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21 to include a statement from the university.

A previous version of this article stated that 31.5 per cent of students cast a ballot in the Fall 2023 SSMU referendum. In fact, 35.1 per cent of students voted. The Tribune regrets this error.