CSU council rejects motion to promote charity with Christian missionary ties

An Indigenous community member at the meeting condemned the food charity’s colonial implications

NewsHannah Scott-Talib — Published November 14, 2025 6 minutes

“This is an organization that is directed to helping children, specifically Indigenous children,” said councillor Chana Leah Natanblut, who put forward the motion. 

The motion presented KAH as a registered Canadian charity committed to “reducing food insecurity through meal-packing programs and community partnerships that provide nutritious meals to families in need across Canada and internationally.” 

It added that food insecurity remains a growing issue among Concordia University students and that the CSU’s mandate requires it to act in a spirit of inclusivity, cooperation and social responsibility.

Councillor Natanblut sought to see the CSU “formally recognize KAH as an official partner organization for the 2025-2026 mandate year and publicly express its support for their mission to reduce food insecurity and promote sustainable community engagement,” as written in the motion. 

However, several council and community members present at the RCM expressed multiple concerns surrounding the charity’s reputation. The concerns largely centred on a 2024 report that revealed the charity’s precarious financial situation, with its total expenses for the year shown to be almost double its revenues. 

Attendees also brought up the issue of KAH’s relevancy to the Concordia community, given that the charity mainly provides meals internationally, with only around one-third of the meals being distributed within Canada. 

“I think if you want support for this motion, you’re going to have to get more data about how it will help [the Concordia community],” one community member said to councillor Natanblut. 

Perhaps the most significant pushback on the motion came from an Indigenous community member in attendance at the RCM, who revealed KAH’s association with the separate charity organization First Nations Missions Fellowship (FNMF). 

“[The FNMF] are an evangelical Christian organization whose stated goal is basically religious conversion,” said the community member. 

They quoted from the FNMF’s mission statement, saying that the charity organization aims to “save Aboriginal souls and lift their lives through the Saviour Jesus Christ.” 

Officially registered since 2001, the FNMF is an Ontario-based charity organization.

“This [mission statement] is extremely triggering, knowing the history of colonial violence, not only here on Turtle Island, but abroad,” added the community member. “You’re saying that you want to help Indigenous communities. This is absolutely not the way.”

Councillor Natanblut, in response to the information, denied prior knowledge of KAH’s ties with the FNMF. She instead referred to her own experience having been to summer camps in Northern Quebec communities to help teach English. She said a KAH office was in place to “help the communities.” 

Councillor Natanblut did recognize the presence of many churches in the area. 

“What a lot of these churches do is—it’s not for religious practice, this isn’t for ‘saving people’s souls,’” councillor Natanblut said. “[Religious assimilation] is not something that I would ever approve of, I really don’t know where such weird information was found, but a lot of churches double [...] as places for a community centre.” 

Despite her response, the motion did not pass by a tight margin, with 12 councillors voting for the motion and 13 voting against. 
 

“This [mission statement] is extremely triggering, knowing the history of colonial violence, not only here on Turtle Island, but abroad.” — Community member present at the RCM

Request for CSU non-partisanship from councillor 

Councillor Ashley Steinwald presented two related motions following the presentation of the KAH motion. 

The first motion, titled “On the CSU’s Commitment to Non-Partisanship,” stated that, while the union is inherently political, ”it is not to be partisan, and must not align itself with one faction, ideology or agenda to the exclusion of others.” 

The motion further stated that the CSU has a “long-standing history of consulting all relevant stakeholders in matters that uniquely affect its positionality.” 

Another community member in attendance brought to question the relevance of this motion. 

“No union can recognize the interests of all of its members. They do their best to recognize the democratic majority, and I think in previous votes from the CSU member body, this has been upheld,” said the community member. “I don’t see the need for this motion.” 

The motion did not pass, with 10 councillors voting in favour and 14 against.

“The CSU represents a democratic majority, which means the majority of those who participate in a democratic process,” said CSU external affairs and mobilization coordinator Danna Ballantyne. “Legally, that is what we are bound to represent.” 

Councillor Steinwald’s second motion proposed creating a “non-partisan oversight working group” to review CSU campaigns, public statements and major publications for compliance with non-partisanship rules. However, it did not proceed to a vote after councillor Lili Daviault Campbell challenged it.

Councillor Campbell said that, within CSU bylaws, the creation of a non-partisan committee would enact a change in regulation. Specifically, article 6.3.4 outlines that permanent policy changes could only be adopted, amended or rescinded by a two-thirds majority vote at council at a meeting specifically called for the purpose of making said policy changes. 

As such, at the chairperson’s suggestion, the motion was tabled for ratification at a separate policy committee meeting, which could then later be brought to council. 

Concordia’s recent decision to cut LTAs 

Near the end of the meeting, internal affairs coordinator Leo Litke brought up Concordia’s recent decision not to renew contracts of limited-term appointment (LTA) professors next year. 

“[This] will have really, really significant impacts on a lot of departments across the university,” Litke said. “A lot of [these LTAs] are very integral members of their departments, they’ve repeatedly taught required courses.” 

General coordinator Vanessa Massot added that many of the university’s faculty members mobilized people to attend a Concordia senate meeting on Nov. 7, where they presented this issue. 

“Faculty are really upset,” Massot said. “This has caused a really big stir.” 

They said that during the senate meeting, faculty senator Theresa Bianco asked Concordia president Graham Carr whether the projected $1 million in savings from cutting LTAs included the cost of replacing those instructors with part-time faculty.

Massot said that, in response, Carr said no, the university’s projected savings did not factor in the additional costs of hiring part-time instructors. 

However, at the senate, interim provost Effrosyni Diamantoudi alleged the savings would total higher than $1 million due to some contracts being picked up by faculty not going on sabbatical next year. 

This comes along with Concordia’s announcement that, as part of additional cost-saving measures, it will defer new approved sabbatical applications by one year.

“The final number of saving $1 million by cutting LTAs is not even a final number,” Massot said. “It will likely be much less than that.”

The RCM was adjourned at 11:30 p.m., following five hours of discussion.